I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan

Side Story 1

Side Story. A Miracle Once and Two Funerals (1)

“…I’m sorry.”

With the beeping sound, it felt as if the world had stopped. The graph that had been moving slightly was now drawing a perfect straight line.

“He has passed away.”

It seemed like he was just asleep, yet one person’s life had come to an end like that. No, two people’s lives had ended like that.

***

“You didn’t tell me such an important thing!”

“I’m sorry, Chairman. It was uncertain what would happen…”

“No, no. It’s fine. This is actually better. No matter how much of a worthless alpha he was, he was still an alpha, and being pregnant would have been embarrassing. It’s better that he died of illness.”

Before the funeral home was prepared, a chairman, furious, unleashed his anger on Professor Kim regarding Seung-hyun’s condition. After calming down a bit, he glanced at Jae-young, who was standing blankly a little distance away, and asked.

“…Isn’t that the youngest who was supposed to become the next representative of Y Hotel? Why is he here? He hasn’t even stepped into management yet, so it’s not like we see him often.”

“Uh… Ju Jae-young is…”

“Don’t tell me that the idiot’s baby was that brat?”

At the blunt words, Professor Kim couldn’t respond and lowered his head. However, contrary to the expectation that he would be angry, the chairman clicked his tongue with a disappointed expression.

“Tsk tsk. It would have been better if he had been born an omega or a beta. It’s a bit concerning that he’s the youngest with no inheritance to the company, but since he’s also a dominant, it would have been a business with no loss.”

Though he claimed to have never shown affection, he was still his grandson, and the way he lamented not being able to use him for marriage without a hint of sadness was chilling. Professor Kim tried hard not to show his discomfort and spoke.

“…The mortuary will be set up soon. I’ve contacted the former chairman and his wife, but I couldn’t reach the wife…”

“Oh, that’s fine. They know how to maintain appearances, so they’ll keep the mortuary. Anyway, the official cause of death is complications due to pheromone gland issues, right?”

“It’s similar. Starting from the pheromone gland…”

“No, that’s enough. I don’t need any more explanation. Just come by during the funeral. I’ll leave a secretary behind, so handle the rest well.”

The chairman gave some instructions to a secretary and left the hospital. He was the first person to visit the hospital after Seung-hyun’s obituary was announced, but he hadn’t come to hear about Seung-hyun; he had just come for a regular check-up and found out the news, leading him to Professor Kim.

‘When I was assigned to the high-ranking officials, I thought I was on the path to success, but it seems it’s not suited for me after all.’

Still, they were family by blood, and it was bitter to think that he could be so indifferent. In contrast, there was someone who still hadn’t regained their senses.

“…The bereaved family will think it’s strange if you stay here. I understand your feelings, but… it wasn’t a relationship that warranted maintaining appearances, was it?”

“Does that matter? I…”

“Ju Jae-young!”

Just as he was about to comfort Jae-young, who seemed ready to stand there for days, someone called out his name and rushed over. It was his brother, Jaesung.

“Are you crazy? What are you still doing here, waiting to hear something?”

“…….”

“It’s shocking, I know, but in the end, you’re an outsider. He’s dead, so it’s over now. Let’s go back. The funeral is the family’s responsibility.”

Jae-young had thought that Jaesung would still be there, so he rushed over as soon as he heard the news of Seung-hyun’s death, and his assumption was spot on.

If he hadn’t come, Jae-young would have probably followed the family to the mortuary and rooted himself there, without even considering how strange it would look to others.

“Let’s go back. Just think about it at home.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Is it going to help to say you don’t want to right now? You’re not a child. You know that in a couple of years, the hotel management will be handed over to you. It’s a funeral for a director, not just anyone. People who know your face, even if they don’t know you now, will come to know you.”

Jaesung sighed as if he was exasperated. His words weren’t unreasonable. However, even knowing that, Jae-young couldn’t move.

In the moment of breathlessness, or perhaps in the moment he lost consciousness, he knew better than anyone that the relationship between the two had ended. But even if he knew that, it wasn’t an emotion that could be severed in an instant.

He wanted to honor the funeral. Even if people looked at it strangely, even if it became a hindrance later on, he was okay with that.

He wanted to send him off properly. Just because the funeral was over didn’t mean he could completely let go in his heart, but even if it was just a formal procedure, he wanted to be there until the end. And there was one more reason.

“…There will be many people coming. Even if they have no interest, they will at least express their condolences and say prayers for his soul.”

“Yeah. So there’s no need for you to be like this. You don’t have to mourn only here. Just go back. Go home, gather your thoughts, change your clothes, and come back as a guest for a bit…”

“But that’s only for one person.”

“What?”

Jaesung frowned, not understanding Jae-young’s words, wondering what kind of strange thing he was saying. However, Jae-young remained in a daze, muttering to himself.

“There are only a few people who know that he existed, and even if they do, there’s no one who would pray for his soul…”

“What are you talking about? Let’s just go back. I’m not saying don’t come. But right now, let’s go back. Go home and… at least see Mom’s face. Then come back.”

Jaesung sighed deeply and pulled Jae-young along. Normally, Jae-young wouldn’t have been dragged by Jaesung, but perhaps because he was exhausted both physically and mentally, he eventually got into the car, led by his brother.

***

“So, haah…”

Instead of Jae-young, Jaesung briefly explained the situation to Mrs. Ju, who sighed deeply. She had never expected that her son would be in a relationship with someone like this, even if he had been dating.

‘Maybe it’s for the best. It was never meant to be. It’s better than holding on for too long and getting hurt.’

She thought it was strange to take the side of a director, but she never imagined that her son would be dating a director from HJ Group, which had a strong alpha superiority complex.

Jae-young wasn’t in a position where he was forced to marry into a prominent family, but she thought it was natural for Seung-hyun to marry an omega from a decent family, if not a dominant one. What on earth had happened? Her head throbbed.

“No, no. It’s fine. I don’t want to know.”

If he were alive, there would have been many things to say, but discussing various matters about a deceased person felt ridiculous. For now, calming down was the priority.

“I think it was just bad luck. It will be hard for now, but eventually, it will be forgotten. The director would wish for that too.”

“…If I don’t wish for it…”

“…Right now, it won’t be like that. Okay. Let’s talk about the details later.”

She sensed that talking would only lead to arguments, so she stood up first. There were many things she wanted to say, but for now, it was more important to express her condolences for the obituary.

“Take a break today. Tomorrow, visit the mortuary to say your last goodbyes… and forget. It’s the right thing to do for you and for the departed.”

Mrs. Ju lightly patted her son’s shoulder and went into her room. Jaesung sighed and returned home, but Jae-young couldn’t bring himself to leave that spot for quite a while.

It was the right thing to do for the departed. Yes, maybe that was true. If it weren’t, he wouldn’t have pushed him away like that.

‘…I’m sorry. I was being selfish.’

But in the end, he hadn’t pushed him away. Logically, he thought that way, but in the end, Seung-hyun hadn’t rejected the time spent with Jae-young and had said he loved him.

‘Maybe it would have been better not to hear that. If I had just pushed him away until the end, if I hadn’t left such memories at the end…’

Now, lost in meaningless thoughts, Jae-young lowered his head. He knew the answer to that question better than anyone. It couldn’t have been otherwise.

It was strangely hard to cry. It was because he still didn’t feel the reality of it. It felt like he had just left Seung-hyun at the hospital and had come home to pack a few things.

But it wouldn’t take long for him to acknowledge that there was nowhere to return to. He wished time would just stop like this. Jae-young sat there for a long time, lost in futile thoughts.

However, contrary to his wishes, time flowed just like always, and in the message inbox of his phone, which he had forgotten and put away, there were messages he didn’t want to check.

YengLi:

Is the name for Jaesung right? or is it Jaeseong I’m really sorry but I can’t remember all of the names anymore, so please correct me on our discord. The Imperial Of BL