TCBW C98

Chapter 98

“I–If you were injured, I clearly expressed my willingness to provide sufficient compensation. Even now, the moment President Lee arrived, I was preoccupied with checking his condition. And I gave you what you wanted, didn’t I? It’s not a small amount of shares. Combined with what you already have, it will be a great help.”

Chairman Han’s voice grew urgent. He was desperately trying to drag the situation back into the realm of a transaction.

But that was not what Dowoon was talking about.

“Yes. I accepted them. Once they are firmly mine, I believe I can put them to better use. However, that is not what I am asking.”

“…What?”

Was there yet another issue? As Chairman Han hurriedly turned his thoughts over, Dowoon looked at him as though he had expected this all along.

“It was also Han Sara who injured my Omega.”

Omega?

Only then did Chairman Han recall, amid the earlier chaos, the vague presence that had briefly crossed his mind.

“Your Omega? Are you referring to the Omega who was in that apartment at the time?”

There was not a trace of guilt in his voice—not even the awareness of who the victim truly was. It seemed he had given no thought whatsoever to Suhoe, who had been injured back then.

Looking at the shameless face of the old man, Dowoon felt disgust boiling up inside him.

“Yes. That Omega. It seems you have forgotten that I was not the only one who was harmed. That Omega is extremely precious to me, so I intend to be compensated for his injuries as well.”

Unable to endure any longer, Dowoon signaled with his eyes. At once, Haeeon took a file from his briefcase and placed it on the table.

Printed inside was an astronomical compensation amount—enough to shake the very foundations of the Saeman Group.

“This—this is impossible! If it’s an Omega, I can find you another one! I’ll find you someone far younger and prettier! I can do it right now, immediately!”

Chairman Han waved his hands frantically, his face drained of color as he shouted in protest.

And at that moment—

Bang.

Dowoon, who had been calmly observing the displeased old man, slammed his hand down on the table.

Chairman Han, who had been ranting in irritation, and even the lawyer whispering behind him about the absurdity of the sum, both flinched and stared at Dowoon.

His face was cold beyond measure as he released a menacing surge of pheromones.

“Ugh.”

“Ghk!”

The Alphas standing there, Haeeon included, felt as though they were dying. Even Chairman Han, a Beta, shrank under Dowoon’s overwhelming presence, watching him warily.

“Chairman Han.”

“Yes?”

“This was not just any Omega. My wife was injured.”

…Wife?

At the word wife, Chairman Han seemed to snap back to himself and erupted in outrage.

“What did you just say?”

Ah—CEO!

Haeeon looked at his superior in alarm at the words that had slipped out, but Dowoon remained utterly composed, as though it were not a mistake at all.

As though he had meant to say it.

By contrast, Chairman Han’s hands began to tremble violently.

His daughter had gone so far as to commit crimes while insisting she would marry Dowoon—only for him to learn now that Dowoon already had a wife.

It felt as though a burning stone had dropped straight into Chairman Han’s gut.

“A wife? Weren’t you engaged to my daughter?”

He had tried to dismiss the Omega as nothing more than a kept companion, but Dowoon’s deadly seriousness ignited his fury.

Now, everything Dowoon did felt like a deliberate scheme to drag them to the depths of hell.

The realization that both he and his daughter had been completely toyed with in Dowoon’s grasp sent his breathing into ragged disarray.

“If we truly had been promised in marriage, there would have been no need to drug me in the first place.”

When Dowoon even allowed displeasure to show on his face, Chairman Han finally exploded. He leapt to his feet and seized Dowoon by the collar across the table.

“You bastard! If this is how you play it, then you’re the criminal! Do you think it makes sense for a married man to see my daughter? Lawyer, record this! This lunatic needs to be reported to the police!”

Yet Dowoon, caught in his grip, did not so much as twitch. His face remained eerily calm.

“You—You picked the wrong target! I won’t let this go! Hey! Hey!”

Unable to contain his fury, Chairman Han shouted desperately for the lawyer behind him—but there was no response.

Sensing something amiss, he turned around and only then noticed his lawyer and secretary struggling for breath.

“What’s going on? What is this!”

“Th–The pheromones….”

“Using pheromones is illegal too! There are other Alphas here besides you! To use such filthy tricks? Not content with taking an Omega as your wife, you go this far? You’re utterly base!”

Realizing that the only ones still standing unscathed were himself and Dowoon, Chairman Han grew even more enraged.

“Watch your mouth.”

“…What?”

But his rage did not last long. It was abruptly crushed by Dowoon’s calm voice.

No—this was not merely because of his tone.

The Dowoon reflected in Chairman Han’s eyes was no longer an angry young man. His face was expressionless, but his light-brown eyes were filled with unmistakable killing intent.

Those eyes—

Startled as though facing a predatory beast, Chairman Han hastily released Dowoon’s collar and tried to step back. But this time, Dowoon seized his hand instead.

“Aaah!”

The grip was inhumanly strong. Pain crushed Chairman Han’s thin wrist, and a shrill scream burst from him—but Dowoon did not care.

“My wife almost died.”

He continued speaking, nothing more.

Inside, he was struggling desperately to rein in his rage.

But the image of Suhoe that had surfaced in his hallucination the night before refused to leave his mind, making it impossible for the heat to subside.

“L–Let go!”

Under the dim lighting, Dowoon’s eyes gleamed like gold—like a predator about to tear out its prey’s throat.

This was no longer the gaze of a man seeking agreement.

Chairman Han’s legs gave out, and he collapsed forward onto the table, still held by the arm. Seeing the frail old man whimpering so pitifully, Dowoon finally loosened his grip.

“Wouldn’t that mean that no amount of compensation would ever be enough?”

Chairman Han clutched his freed arm, drool slipping from the corner of his mouth as he writhed in pain. Dowoon did not even look at him, calmly straightening his clothes and withdrawing his pheromones.

Behind him, Haeeon—who had been trembling under the pressure—noticed the change and quickly forced himself upright. He poured warm tea into Dowoon’s cup as though nothing had happened.

Dowoon lifted the teacup, inhaling its fragrance as he steadied himself.

“I have thought about this carefully. About what price would be fitting for injuring my wife. I even deliberately took time to investigate, in case you might keep your mouth shut if I accepted the shares too quickly.”

“Ridiculous! Do you really think you can get that? Are you insane? This arm—this arm was injured because of you! Would you hand over money if I demanded Yongseong Financial itself?!”

Clutching his still-aching arm, Chairman Han shouted, fury overtaking even his instinctive fear of Dowoon.

Unlike the increasingly agitated old man, Dowoon spoke only after calmly suppressing his anger.

“I see. So you are saying you cannot pay.”

Haeeon, now recovered, quietly listened. Without waiting for instructions, he removed a beige envelope from his briefcase and placed it on the table.

The envelope bore international postage marks—it had come from overseas—and had already been opened.

Dowoon, clearly knowing its contents, gestured for Chairman Han to look as well.

“This is what I’ve gathered over time.”

“What is this nonsense now? Is this the money from selling Yongseong Financial? Answer me! If you don’t, our agreement is void! I won’t hand over a single share! I’ll contact my secretary immediately and cancel the transfer! You’ll be thrown out of here!”

Chairman Han had completely lost his composure. His thick eyebrows shot upward, and coarse, uncontrolled words spilled from his mouth.

So frantic was he that, despite the envelope lying open before him, he did not even think to look inside. Instead, he pulled out his phone, intending to call his secretary who was on the way to the brokerage.

“You should look.”

“H–Hello?!”

Even as Chairman Han flailed in panic, Dowoon remained calm.

Before his secretary could possibly answer, Chairman Han pretended as though the call had already gone through, putting on a performance meant to overpower Dowoon.