CHAPTER 5: THIRD-GENERATION CHAEBOL

"LET’S end our friendship here, Song Sihyuk."

Aigoo.

"What are you talking about? My grandfather and uncles have gone to jail a few times for tax evasion and embezzlement."

Coincidentally, Lim Garam was born in one of the hospitals owned by Seong Kyungmin’s family. It was also the same hospital that had a partnership with the elementary school that Lim Garam attended.

He was just glad that his father sent him to replace that old man temporarily.

They own hospitals and pharmacies that cater to Alphas and Omegas.

Song Sihyuk scoffed. "It’s around the time Lim Garam’s father remarried. He was too busy with his new family that he neglected his own son."

The kid is usually poker-faced, but he can make funny expressions depending on his mood.

Such a scaredy-cat.

Hence, the hospital had Lim Garam’s Second Gender records.

Song Sihyuk was pleased with his friend’s reaction.

Hence, Song Sihyuk couldn’t help but stare at his reflection.

His friend, Seong Kyungmin, was standing in front of him. But there was also a mirror behind the man.

That ahjussi lent Lim Garam’s stepmother and stepbrother a huge amount of money, but he has never harassed them when they missed their dues.

But if I don’t find a way to protect myself from Alphas, I’ll be worse than dead...

"It’s normal for a law-abiding citizen to be scared when they break the law. I’m not a chaebol like you, Sihyuk-ah. Only chaebols can get away with crimes in this country."

For that occasion, he wore an expensive tailored suit that befitted a third-generation chaebol like him instead of the casual black suit he would wear when blending in with the loan sharks.

So, I have Lim Garam all to myself.

"Sihyuk-ah, listen to me," Seong Kyungmin said sternly. "Lim Garam is a Beta. Leave him alone. There are a lot of Omegas lining up for you. Just play with them like you always do. A twenty-five-year-old grown ass like you has no business with a kid who has just turned adult."

That was true.

"Kyungmin-ah, why are hostile to me today?"

Pfft.

"I’m not kidding, Song Sihyuk," Seong Kyungmin said, grabbing Song Sihyuk by the collar. "If you do that stupid experiment with those degenerates, I won’t be your friend anymore."

Which was suspicious because Kang Byungho was a money-hungry bastard.

"Read the doctor’s note at the very end of the document."

Song Sihyuk was actually a third-generation chaebol.

"Lim Garam was declared a Beta, but he has the pheromones of an Omega? The level of his pheromones is so low that he’s more of a Beta than an Omega, though. That’s why the doctor made that decision," Seong Kyungmin said, lifting his head. The future doctor’s face was beaming. "But, according to the doctor, Lim Garam’s body is strange."

"I’m on it."

"Sihyuk-ah, why do you look so excited about what you found out about Lim Garam?"

But he didn’t bother lifting his head to greet his friend. After all, he was busy reading Lim Garam’s medical report.

"Kyungmin-ah, you can’t be a coward when you’re studying like crazy to be a doctor."

That’s it— that’s the reaction I’m expecting.

***

Kids usually manifest their Second Gender in grade school, so all elementary schools in the country are required by the government to be affiliated with one hospital.

Heh.

It was true that the cold-hearted Kang Byungho was pretty lenient to Lim Garam, though.

Lim Garam would probably wonder how a third-generation chaebol like me ended up in that shabby loan shark office.

"Because you made me commit a crime," Seong Kyungmin said, obviously frustrated. Then he pointed at the documents in Song Sihyuk’s hands. "You asked for Lim Garam’s Secondary Gender medical report. If people find out that our hospital shared the kid’s medical report with you, then we will be in huge trouble. Lim Garam could sue us and win the case easily."

Seong Kyungmin was a pre-med student, aiming to be a doctor who specialized in fixing Alphas and Omegas’ pheromone problems.

Seong Kyungmin let out a frustrated sigh. "I can’t believe the heir of the SG Group is a bastard like you— your company’s future is looking bleak."

Song Sihyuk just rolled his eyes at what Seong Kyungmin said.

"But I’m not a chaebol. If I get caught, my future is doomed."

"I am your friend, Sihyuk-ah," Seong Kyungmin said. And, now that he had calmed down, he was back to his usual logical self. "So, let me give you a piece of advice: don’t mess with Lim Garam. He’s the son of Byungho-ssi’s childhood friends, isn’t he? If a gangster like Byungho-ssi could be lenient and soft towards the kid, you could, too."

Oh, well.

Song Sihyuk didn’t want to worry about someone he didn’t care about.

It was a lie, though.

"Kyungmin-ah, don’t you think Lim Garam is the perfect subject to see if those miracle pills can really turn Betas into Omegas?"

I wonder how Lim Garam will react if he finds out that I’m not a gangster.

***

I’m sorry, Kyungmin-ah— but it’s too interesting to stop at this point.

"That’s normal, though? If you don’t manifest as either an Alpha or a Beta in grade school, you’re automatically assumed to be a Beta. After all, people usually manifest their Secondary Gender at age 10-12. But late bloomers exist, so you can always update your records. Since Lim Garam hasn’t updated his, then he must have remained a Beta all these years."

Song Sihyuk shrugged nonchalantly. "Fiiine."

It’s a boring story, but it’s good material to garner new reactions from the kid.

"Song Sihyuk!" Seong Kyungmin yelled his name, his face turning red from anger. "I told you to stop hanging out with those people!"

Correct content is on freew.ebno(v)e\l.(c)om.

After all, Lim Garam’s facial expressions were very amusing to Song Sihyuk.

"You would— I just know you would."

"Exactly!" Song Sihyuk said, handing the documents to his friend. "Look at this, Kyungmin-ah. Lim Garam’s Secondary Gender record is weird. It states that he didn’t manifest as either an Alpha or an Omega, so he automatically fell under the Beta category."

"If we’re caught, I’ll get expelled from med school..."

Right?

He’s really a Beta, huh?

Song Sihyuk scoffed.

"What a lame excuse. The kid is a Beta. What ’scent’ are you talking about?"

"You’re not listening, are you?"

His family owned the SG Group— a huge conglomerate that ran various huge businesses like the SG Telecom (Korea’s #1 mobile phone company), SG Broadband (the company responsible for wired and wireless internet communications), and SG Infinity (the #2 semiconductor manufacturer in the country, second only to Ilsung Group) to name a few.

"But the kid’s scent is addictive— it drives me crazy."

Song Sihyuk finally lifted his head.

Ah, maybe I should kill that bastard first?

"Are you really my friend?"

Aigoo.

No thanks to Seo Minwoo— his cruel stepbrother.

’HOW TO kill an Alpha.’

"Don’t worry— I’ll protect you. No one would know, I swear. Plus, even if someone did and threatened to expose us, I’ll deal with them," Song Sihyuk said, and his words seemed to have helped his friend calm down. "You wouldn’t have accepted my request if you knew I couldn’t protect you, right?"

Garam had been on his phone all day searching for ways to kill Alphas— and, as expected, those bastards weren’t easy to kill.

"Just because it’s legal doesn’t make it morally correct."

"Cradle robber."

"I call him a ’kid,’ but Lim Garam isn’t a child," Song Sihyuk said. He wasn’t being defensive— he was merely stating the truth. "Plus, the New Year has already passed. The kid is allowed to drink alcoholic beverages now. You also can’t accuse me of grooming him since I didn’t wait for him to be an adult— I met him for the first time two weeks ago."

"Yah. You talk like I’m going to ruin Lim Garam’s life."

Seong Kyungmin fell silent for a moment, and then his brows furrowed.

Aigoo.

"Oh, please. We all know that even if chaebols go to jail, they’re still treated like kings there. Going to jail is just like going on a short vacation for them. And, in the first place, they only serve time when there’s a public outrage. But once the common people calms down and forgets about what happened, those chaebols will leave the prison quietly."

"Do I look like a man of morals?"

"I know that. But I’m still nervous since I’m not used to this," Seong Kyungmin said, even putting a hand over his chest dramatically. "But, most of all, I feel for the kid who caught your attention. I feel like I’ve ruined his life indirectly by handing you his medical record."

"Unfortunately, his father didn’t care enough about the poor kid to bring him to a hospital for a more thorough examination."

fr eewe(b)nove.l.co\m

Seong Kyungmin wasn’t a chaebol like Song Sihyuk, but his friend came from a wealthy family.

"Must you yell at me?"

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