NLFSD Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Shame was mine to bear.

Lee Jiwoon lowered his head deeply, avoiding the gazes of others.

“Ahem. Now, the next corner is time to exchange and read each other’s contemplation journals. Everyone, you’re logged into the app, right?”

“Yes!”

“Please exchange with your partner and read it. As you read, try to feel what kind of emotions arise.”

Following the instructor’s directions, the couples exchanged phones. During that, a small commotion broke out. Voices were raised at one of the couple’s tables.

“What is this? Are you kidding me? You really hate me, don’t you?”

“I had to write honestly, what else could I do? I just wrote things as they are!”

As the Alpha and Omega argued, the instructor shook his head.

“If you fight like that, it’s a deduction. You should try to see the good in each other.”

Lee Jiwoon shrank from the intense couple’s fight. Am I going to get scolded too? I did put in effort, but I think I did complain about the department head… I remember writing something like “AI-like,” or “like a robot.” What do I do?

“What are you doing? Hurry up and exchange.”

“Ah, yes.”

At the instructor’s urging, Lee Jiwoon hesitantly held out his phone. In contrast, Seo Taecheon handed over his phone calmly and with composure.

As he rested his chin on his hand and read the journal with a blank expression, Lee Jiwoon started reading Seo Taecheon’s journal with a nervous heart.

What kind of evaluation did he give me? Worried, he opened the recent entry. And then—what the heck.

Below the date, the activities he and Seo Taecheon carried out were listed in detail, down to the minute.

His records resembled a business report, using terms like background, objective, progress, and result.

“What is this? A company report?”

O Background: To promote harmony between spouses

O Progress: Dinner led by self (duration: 1 hour)

O Result: Successfully completed

*** Note: Suspected shellfish allergy. Needs to be addressed during next meal.

“Wow… he didn’t miss a single day.”

He’s relentless and even eccentric. Lee Jiwoon stared blankly, his mouth agape.

…But he did notice my shrimp allergy. So that’s why he removed the soy-marinated shrimp in front of me at the last dinner.

Lee Jiwoon subtly glanced at Seo Taecheon. His face was completely unreadable. He was a robot whose thoughts were impossible to decipher.

“Have you all finished reading? How was it? Didn’t you get to understand your spouse’s inner thoughts, even a little?”

“Yes.”

“This week’s assignment is to write an interview review. Please submit your reports through the assignment tab in the contemplation journal app. With that, we’ll conclude today’s session.”

As people clapped, Lee Jiwoon awkwardly joined in. Seo Taecheon clapped on beat, precisely and cleanly. Even his applause had the poise of an actor attending a film festival.

“Let’s go home.”

“Ah, yes.”

Lee Jiwoon got up slowly and followed behind the retreating figure of Seo Taecheon. But then he heard whispers from other Omegas nearby.

“He’s handsome and composed. Just perfect.”

“Why is that Omega trying to get divorced? I don’t get it.”

“Exactly. It’s not like her husband’s trash like mine. Why reject an Alpha like that?”

“Who knows. Maybe it’s the Alpha who’s dumping him?”

As giggles burst out, Lee Jiwoon grew irritated.

“Excuse me. We’re getting divorced through mutual agreement, okay? Who’s dumping who!”

After snapping back defiantly, the Omegas fell silent as if doused with cold water.

“Hmph!”

I’m not the one getting dumped!

Coming out into the hallway a step later, Lee Jiwoon looked around for Seo Taecheon. He was talking to the instructor in the distance, but their conversation was too far to hear clearly.

Only faint snippets came through, like “deduction,” “extension.”

Huh? Are they talking about the contemplation period right now?

“…so if there’s a deduction, how much…”

“If that happens, the extension…”

Eavesdropping on the fragmented conversation, Lee Jiwoon was able to roughly piece together the situation. He was checking thoroughly because he didn’t want to extend their marriage one more day.

Well, I feel the same way!

Even as he thought that, Lee Jiwoon felt oddly slighted. He hated the idea of an extension just as much, so why was he feeling this way? Still, the fact that Seo Taecheon seemed so eager to get rid of him made him feel bad. Like encountering laundry that hadn’t dried properly.

“There you are.”

At that moment, Seo Taecheon spotted him and started striding over. Lee Jiwoon momentarily panicked, afraid he’d been caught eavesdropping.

“Why didn’t you go down first? What were you doing?”

“Ah, that! I was… reading a poster on the wall!”

Lee Jiwoon pointed randomly at something on the wall.

<How to Safely Navigate the Rut-Heat Cycle—Try These Tips!>

It was a nationwide campaign flyer.

Why, of all things, did I have to point at that? Damn it.

Lee Jiwoon resented his own finger, but what’s done is done.

“Hmm. I didn’t know you were paying attention to cycle management.”

Seo Taecheon spoke in an even tone, staring intently at the poster.

“N-no, that’s not it.”

“I’ll make sure to gather information and handle that proactively. Since we’re living under the same roof, who knows what could happen.”

Because Seo Taecheon responded so casually, only Lee Jiwoon was left feeling embarrassed.

The car ride back was filled with awkward silence. The one who broke it was Seo Taecheon.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

Honestly, Lee Jiwoon didn’t have much of an appetite, but he wasn’t the type to skip meals, so he tried to recall what was in the fridge.

There were some side dishes left from last time… um… a few sausages… we had the Korean beef together last time…

“Uh… the fridge is empty.”

“Then how about grilled short rib patties? The housekeeper texted earlier that she put some in the fridge.”

“Oh, really?”

The housekeeper, who regularly took care of the housework, seemed to have contacted Seo Taecheon.

“Grilled short rib patties sound good.”

“Let’s have those.”

Thinking about the patties made Lee Jiwoon’s appetite return, and he wanted to hurry home.

Once they arrived home, Seo Taecheon volunteered to cook without hesitation.

“Take it easy, Assistant Manager Lee. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

“Is that okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

At times like this, he seemed really considerate… or maybe he was just afraid Jiwoon would ruin the kitchen… he wasn’t sure.

Lee Jiwoon shrugged and casually headed into the master bedroom. After washing his hands and feet in the bathroom, he flopped onto the bed. As he stared at the ceiling, he suddenly remembered the picture he received as a gift earlier.

He got up and rummaged through his bag, and soon found the artistic drawing.

“This is supposed to be me? No way. That’s insanely handsome. No, beautiful. Just beautiful.”

He always thought he looked average and unremarkable, but this—forget good looks, there was something oddly seductive about it… Wait. What the hell am I saying? Seductive? Seriously?

“Dinner’s ready, Assistant Manager Lee.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Startled, Jiwoon quickly shoved the drawing into the desk drawer and stepped outside.

After stuffing himself with food, Lee Jiwoon lay on the bed in the master bedroom, patting his stomach and working on the post-consultation assignment. But when it came time to actually write a thousand characters, he found he didn’t have much to say.

It was informative and meaningful. Fun, even.

“Ugh, this isn’t even a hundred characters, let alone a thousand.”

While Jiwoon was pulling his hair out, Seo Taecheon sat on the sofa beside the bed, reading a book.

“Aren’t you going to write your report, Director?”

“I’ve got a call coming in soon. I’ll do it after that.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than his phone vibrated.

“Yes. Mother. What brings you to call?”

Oh? So that’s his mother. Wonder what she’s calling about.

Noticing Jiwoon’s curious expression, Seo Taecheon got up and stepped outside.

“You’re in Korea? You didn’t tell me.”

—And you got married without saying a word to me, didn’t you?

“There were some circumstances.”

—What circumstances? You said you were a lifelong bachelor. Who just up and gets married like that?

“I’ll explain everything in detail later.”

Since his mother wasn’t wrong, Seo Taecheon couldn’t argue too much.

He had lived 31 years firmly believing in bachelorhood. Sure, his parents pressured him into a few blind dates. But each time, by his standards he declined politely; by others’ standards, he was cold and intimidating.

Watching his parents’ painful divorce as a child left a deep scar, and he was also deeply devoted to his work. He thought, “I’ll build my company. I’ll marry my work and live alone.”

At some point, that belief became so rooted in him that marriage didn’t even seem appealing. Even when people asked why someone with such a perfect face, body, and job wasn’t married, he remained indifferent.

How could he be interested when he just wasn’t?

So, according to his life plan, he was supposed to stay single forever.

But then one day, a ridiculous incident happened. Lee Jiwoon walked into the director’s office trembling, holding out a family registration certificate. Seo Taecheon had been completely dumbfounded.

Love and dating weren’t required for marriage. Just one administrative error was enough.

And yet, he had spent the entire day drawing that Omega’s face. The face of the Omega who was now lying facedown on the bed.

“Life’s unpredictable.”

Seo Taecheon murmured as he hung up the phone. A faint smile appeared on his normally expressionless face.