Tensegrity

“When did I cuss?”

“If not, then did you fall in love with swearing?”

“Because I never swear.”

When Jun-Kyung answered with a dry voice while avoiding his gaze, Jun-hee clicked his tongue. Even if Jun-Kyung wins this fight, he loses in the end. Jun-hee laughed at the world’s greatest idiot for a long time.

“Still, I’m glad he has a heart. Otherwise, he would have told you to erase it. Throwing money bags or doing tricks.”

“The Executive Director Min is not that kind of person.”

“Are you on the husband’s side already? You are making me sad.”

“Husband! Gosh!”

Jun-Kyung almost jumped out of his seat at the word ‘Husband’. Although Jun-Hee was annoyed and sorry for his younger brother, on the other hand, he took advantage of this to counter all the ridicule he had suffered for a long time. It seems that Jun-Kyung has to put the lid on the coffin first in order to end the teasing first.

“Stop teasing me, and I am really not that kind of person.”

Jun-Kyung was at a loss as to where to begin and how to explain it. In a short period of time, he learned too many reasons for marriage in various ways. He explained in the order he heard them.

“A chaebol don’t just erase their child carelessly. They have a strong obsession with bloodlines. Especially Chairman Taewon or at least that’s what I heard. Anyway, I went to the hospital to check it out, and he said that we should get married right away.”

“Out of a sense of responsibility?”

“Should I say it’s due to responsibility? There is another person that he really likes while marrying me.”

“What?”

This time, all the customers in the cafe stopped what they were doing and looked this way. Jun-hee jumped up and said, “I’m sorry.” He apologized and quickly lowered himself.

“What kind of dog-like nonsense is this?”

“I know, right? What drama is it? I guess we will do something like a show-window couple.” (T/N: Hyun-Seung and Jun-Kyung will be the couple that everyone sees on the surface.)

“Crazy. Isn’t he a complete scoundrel?”

This time Jun-Kyung didn’t feel the need to specifically refute. Even if he is not a psychopath or sociopath, he’s at least a cheater.

It’s a world where not only the wealthy and the upper class have various interests, but also the lower-class people from ordinary families have an affair. Even if it is common, it doesn’t make it less trashy, so there is no reason to refute cussing.

“You should’ve done it also. Why don’t you ask Mom and Dad to take responsibility for your child because it’s theirs, and then have an affair on the other side?”

“The order is reversed. Rather, he has a girlfriend, and he made an accident with me.” (T/N: Jun-Kyung is saying that not that Hyun-Seung cheated on him but rather he is a third wheel in the relationship).

“Anyway, he’s a dog, that Director Min.”

Jun-Hee, who had been muttering, got up and brought ice water. Jun-Kyung emptied the remaining water after drinking.

“Are you okay?”Jun-Hee asked Jun-Kyung.

“Me?”

“It’s like saying that a crazy bastard will marry you for an accident and just have a baby. Are you okay with that?”

“What am I not okay with?”

“………”

As if surprised, Jun-hee was unable to speak.

“Whatever the reason, you already know it. It’s not easy to erase. I’m thankful that he’s taking responsibility in raising the child. He’s rich, handsome, and he’s going to marry. Even if we get a divorce in the future, won’t he give us a huge amount of alimony? Let’s take this opportunity to fix it.”

Jun-Kyung recounted what the doctor has told him.

“I had no idea that my brother was such a capitalist monster.”

“Huh.” Jun-Kyung snorted involuntarily.

“Right. I guess you got infected while working for a chaebol?”

“You are a crazy person, too.”

“I see.”

Jun-Kyung laughed out loud, but even thinking to himself, he feels like a dog. Is he a villain rather than a protagonist? Or was that role transferred to Executive Director Min?

“Are you good?”

“What?”

“Does Min Hyun-Seung treat you well? Do you feel cold when you two have separate lovers?”

Jun-Kyung recalled what had happened. There’s no such thing. On the contrary, Hyun-Seung Min treats him so well that Jun-Kyung thinks he is hypocritical for a subject who has an outside lover. He even cooks his own meals. Although the rice was left to cool completely, it was still delicious.

“Because there is so much money that it rots, there is no such inconvenience.”

Aside from questioning whether he was nice or not, there are still other inconveniences to consider in reality.

Still, if he complains about marrying to the heir of a chaebol, he will hear nothing but admonition. If he’s going to be a slave to capitalism anyway, it wouldn’t be bad to try the method called ‘acting’. Like Si-Eun Lee’s lover who wore an iron plate and deceived everyone in the world.

“Anyway, I was so surprised. I never dreamed that you would bring an Alpha with you that day.”

“Me too.”

“You really don’t know how things will turn out, do you? I thought I would get married first, not you.”

After a vague silence, Junkyung first opened his mouth.

“Look for a good person too. It’s easier to find if you lower your expectations.”

“Are you with the successor to a chaebol by lowering your expectations?” Jun-Hee smiled bitterly.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“I know, I know. I need to find a good person, too.”

On Jun-hee’s smiling face, not only the bright sunlight but also traces of light clouds were reflected. Jun-kyung couldn’t determine with certainty what kind of emotion he was wearing.

Is it simply because the order is changed? Or there may be other reasons. However, Jun-kyung’s situation was urgent to take over his older brother’s delicate feelings.

After a while, his mother arrived at the cafe. He thought his mother would be angry right after she found him, but surprisingly, her expression was bright. Jun-Kyung’s father, who came after her, wasn’t in a bad mood either.

A second round of interrogation followed. He warmed up against Junhee earlier, so this time, the lie came out naturally without panicking. As expected, things get better with practice, even if it’s lying. Of course, the story that Executive Director Min has a separate lover was omitted.

“So, he proposed to you right away after hearing you had a baby? Why did you just say that now?”

The plea that he had spoken of before did not prevail against his mother’s anger. As a mother with only two sons, the palm that slapped the back came first. Going to exercise diligently, her hands were getting spicier.

“What did I say?”

“Chairman Taewon. Even if the parties want to get married, behind such a family, the chairman comes forward and says, ‘We cannot accept bodyguards.’ and held out the envelope of money and said, “Erase it.”

The drama is this terrifying. Of course, such money envelopes actually come and go, so they also appear in dramas. Living as a bodyguard, he has seen and heard a lot of behind-the-scenes stories from the upper classes, so he knows the reality more than drama.

However, there is no drama scene that shows what the picture really is. Instead, it is closer to complete disregard, intimidating, or coercing an abortion. Even if the secretary solves it, it’s the chairman that comes forward and throws the money.

“The chairman and his wife said it was okay. They told me to start with the date for the meeting.”

“A meeting? Are you serious?”

“I think so.”

The parents’ expressions became serious. A strange exchange of gazes continued, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

“When do you want to do it?”

“We can set up the date. Because I am an Omega, so we are…the bride’s side.”

Even though he said it himself, he felt like a pig’s feet. He chewed the ice for no reason.

“Are we on the bride’s side? Come to think of it, that’s true. You are the one with the baby”.

His father’s complexion darkened sharply. When Jun-Hee brought ice water, his father followed suit and started chewing ice. He’s going to do it again after having three implants?

“Should I buy anything?”

“No. You don’t have to. It’s all at Executive Director Min’s house.”

The appliances in the house were very stylish and nice. All of them are top-of-the-line models. Even if they buy a new one, it will only be lower than that of the existing product. Hyun-Seung Min also told him to buy anything he needed with a black card.

“Then what about gifts and dowry?”

“Do I have to talk about that now?”

Junkyung sighed at the complexity. His mother was furious at once.

“It’s your marriage. So who do I ask?”

“I don’t know. Discuss it with Mother.”

“Mother?”

“Min Hyun-seung’s mother. You will continue to know each other in the future.”

“Who talks about your mother-in-law like that?”

“No one uses those words”

Jun-Kyung didn’t want to talk about it, so he deliberately turned it around. His mother shattered that effort in an instant.

“Even though Jun-Kyung is an Omega, he’s a man. A name like that is awkward.” His father intervened.

“It seems that these days, even in marriages between a man and a woman, no one use such words like mother-in-law. It’s just mom and dad.”

“Who said that?”

“Our part-timer.”

Most of the cafe part-timers are young girls.

The mother, who was secretly afraid that she would fall behind the times faster than her peers for the crime of not having a daughter to share the trend with, did not insist on the word “mother-in-law” anymore.

Those who were not very busy thought about it for a long time about deciding the date.

Getting new clothes, getting skin care, and doing her hair. This time it was not only his mother, but his father as well. According to his father, he had to get eyebrow tinted wax and a botox for wrinkles. Jun-Kyung almost thought he was a celebrity.

The date was set ten days later. Jun-kyung first informed Executive Director Min of the fact. The reply came a few minutes later.

[The chairman said he’s okay. We will let you know the time and location.]

“I know the date, but they’ll tell me where and when to meet.”

The venue and time arrived in a message in less than 20 minutes. It was the perfect time for lunch at a Korean restaurant in a famous hotel. As soon as Jun-Kyung decided the date, he was surprised at the speed at which the reservation was made. As much as the Executive Director Min, the president and his wife rushed to get married.