NLFSD Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The moment the cherry tomato hit the ground, Lee Jiwoon’s heart plummeted along with it.

“Ah…”

It felt like a sudden ambush. The shock of the unexpected made it feel twice—no, three times—as intense.

“I’ll clean this up for you. Please watch your step.”

A banquet team staff member approached and picked up the fallen cherry tomato.

“Not using the barbecue corner?”

“Ah, yes… I mean, no. I don’t want it.”

Jiwoon turned his back on the smoke rising from the grilled meat and returned to his seat. As he sat down with a thump, all the color had drained from his face.

 

“And with that, we conclude the anniversary celebration.”

The host announced the closing remarks, and people responded with enthusiastic applause. After Chairman Seo and the executives left the venue under the guidance of staff, the hall was left empty.

Assistant Manager Kim Minji and the T/F team members began cleanup with the banquet crew. They took down the banners and floral arrangements, bustling around as they wrapped things up, when Seo Taecheon approached.

“Thanks to all of you, this year’s event went off without a hitch. I really appreciate your hard work despite your busy schedules.”

The staff, their faces marked by fatigue, sweat, and a sense of accomplishment, smiled back. Murmurs about how exhausting the day had been echoed from all directions. But Jiwoon remained absentminded, lost in thought.

Marriage… wedding halls. The executive director is looking into wedding halls…

So caught up in that thought, Jiwoon didn’t even realize it was past 9 p.m.

“Jiwoon, should I give you a ride?”

“No, it’s fine. Assistant Manager Ki, you must be tired—please head home first.”

“Giving you a ride isn’t tiring at all, though.”

Ki Hyunjin subtly pressed Jiwoon.

“I’ll go separately. I’m really okay.”

Since he was already planning to get a ride home with BBG, Jiwoon kept glancing toward Seo Taecheon, who was standing a bit away. He figured a text with directions to meet would arrive shortly.

Bzzz. As expected, his phone buzzed. Jiwoon discreetly checked the message.

“…Huh?”

But there was no mention of meeting in a parking lot.

BBG

I have someone to meet, so I’ll be late.

Please go home first.

Someone to meet? At this hour of the night?

A faint wrinkle appeared between Jiwoon’s brows. He was dying to ask where Seo Taecheon was going. No, not just that. Is the wedding hall thing true? Are you really getting married?

That was Jiwoon’s honest inner thought. But did he have the right to ask such a personal question? The answer was clearly no.

Once the deliberation period ends, Seo Taecheon is free to live however he chooses, with whomever he wants. The objective and merciless truth of that stung Jiwoon like a papercut.

In the end, Jiwoon brushed off Ki Hyunjin and hailed a taxi. After commuting together nearly every day, riding home alone in the late night left him feeling strangely gloomy. Though the city lights of Seoul stretched out endlessly beyond the window, Jiwoon couldn’t shake a sense of loneliness.

Even after arriving home, that loneliness lingered. The empty living room, the silent kitchen—everything felt especially hollow tonight.

He washed up briefly and collapsed onto the living room sofa. Staring blankly at the ceiling, he eventually curled up and lay down.

Well… BBG is human too. It’s possible he changed his mind along the way. He always said he was firmly against marriage, but maybe something shifted his perspective. Maybe he found someone he truly liked during their stay in Love Village and decided he wanted to marry that person no matter what…

Then what happens to me?

Soon, delusions began blooming like clouds in Jiwoon’s head.

‘Assistant Manager Lee, thank you for all your hard work. Our newlywed life for a successful divorce has now come to an end.’

‘U-uh… Executive Director, wait a moment.’

‘This is the person who will be my new spouse.’

In Jiwoon’s imagination, the executive director stood tall in a tuxedo, and beside him, a dazzling Omega No. 3 beamed in a wedding dress.

‘Now, please move out of my house.’

The fantasy became more vivid. Imaginary Jiwoon had become homeless, wandering the cold streets. He was pitiful to the level of the Little Match Girl.

If I knew this would happen, I should’ve kept my old apartment. Why did I give it up over six months’ rent?

Sob, sob. What am I supposed to do now? I’ve lost the bed where I used to take selfies with the executive director, and the kitchen where I ate my burnt toast…

…And the Alpha I like, too.

“What?!”

Mid-fantasy, Jiwoon suddenly shot up like a spring. What did my subconscious just say…? What?

“An Alpha I like? I… I like the executive director?”

He pressed a hand to his wildly beating heart. This racing—he always felt it when he thought of the executive director.

The idea of the divorce finalizing scares him. Once the deliberation period ends, they’ll go back to being just an executive and an employee—and what if another Omega ends up at his side?

“No. Absolutely not!”

Jiwoon finally admitted his feelings.

He likes Seo Taecheon, the executive director who seemed robotic. No—he likes him passionately, with burning intensity.

“BBG, you’re mine!”

His cry rang out powerfully in the empty apartment.

 

“But… what do I do now?”

He rolled around the couch for quite some time, racking his brain, but it did no good. Seo Taecheon seemed to be flirting with another Omega, and only about four months remained until their divorce would be finalized.

Ding.

His phone alarm went off. Jiwoon grabbed the phone from the table and looked at the screen.

<Warning: Lee Jiwoon, your deliberation score is too low. To make up for it, please select one of the following activities to earn points.>

“Ah… My score really dropped.”

It had once stayed comfortably in the 80s, but now it had plummeted to 65. As far as Jiwoon knew, any score below 60 was immediately classified as an insufficient deliberation effort. That must be why the little mascot named Deliberation-Dung or whatever was dancing wildly and sounding alarms.

He tapped [Confirm], and the screen changed.

Lee Jiwoon, please discuss with your spouse and select a recovery course:

Attend a couples’ retreat

 

 

Go on a trip alone together

 

 

Special one-day couples’ counseling

 

 

Jiwoon stared at the options, deep in thought. If he didn’t update his deliberation log or rejected any special activities, his score would keep dropping. That would drag down their average and result in a “deliberation insufficient” verdict—ultimately extending the deliberation period by another month.

That would mean more time spent with Seo Taecheon, which might not be so bad. But at the same time, Option 2—going on a trip alone together—was tempting.

Love Village in Jeju hardly counted as a proper trip. They’d stayed in separate rooms, had cameras following them, and were surrounded by too many people.

…So maybe I just want to spend some quiet time alone with Seo Taecheon. Somewhere unfamiliar, away from home, in a different atmosphere.

“Sigh…”

Ding-dong. The doorbell rang just then. Jiwoon, who had practically torn at his hair from all the overthinking, quickly smoothed it down and opened the front door.

“Still awake?”

Seo Taecheon walked in, suit jacket slung over one arm, loosening his tie with the other. The sight was so cinematic it felt like a cologne ad. Jiwoon forgot to breathe for a moment.

…Did I just fall for him again?

“Ah… Yes. I couldn’t… couldn’t sleep.”

“You should’ve rested. You must be tired.”

“Uh… right.”

Jiwoon’s heart started pounding again, completely ignoring the situation. Seo Taecheon stepped into the kitchen, poured himself a glass of water in a black mug, and looked over at Jiwoon.

“Have you eaten?”

Though the buffet had been dinner, Seo Taecheon assumed that knowing Jiwoon’s habits, he might have made a second dinner at home.

“Ah, no.”

“Perfect. I haven’t either. Let’s make something to eat together.”

Saying that, Seo Taecheon opened the refrigerator. Jiwoon rushed over to stop him.

“W-wait, I’ll do it.”

“No, I’ll cook.”

“But you must be exhausted after working all day.”

“If we’re counting that, didn’t you work too? You had to deal with higher-ups and all—must’ve been twice as hard.”

Seo Taecheon blocked him from even approaching the stove.

“Just choose. Do you want it spicy, or extra spicy?”

“What?”

“Ramen. I was thinking of adding some chili powder and pepper. Sound good?”

Wow. He even knows his way around flavor. Of course chili and pepper is a must, right?

“I’ll take it extra spicy—with two eggs, please.”

“Sounds good. Then sit and wait.”

As Jiwoon watched Seo Taecheon’s back while he made ramen, his mouth watered. Now that he had acknowledged his feelings, everything felt strangely embarrassing, bashful—and he found himself wanting more.

“…I think I want it.”

“What did you say, Assistant Manager Lee?”

“N-nothing!”

“Sounded like you said you wanted something.”

“I-I want ramen with lots of eggs. Not just two—make it three! Executive Director!”

“Will do.”

With a charming smile, Seo Taecheon cracked one more egg and dropped it into the pot. Jiwoon tried to cool his face with the back of his hand, struggling to stop himself from blushing.