A Feast Before Disaster

Secretary Choi would naturally lose his job if I went off to live in the countryside, but I didn’t bother telling him that.

It was my own small revenge.

After all, he wasn’t really Seong Chanyeong’s man anyway.

“Y-Yes, Chairman. This is Secretary Choi. May I bring Young Master Chanyeong to the main house now?”

Secretary Choi made the call to Chairman Seong right in front of me.

A few seconds passed.

Then he gave me an okay sign with his hand.

“He says you can come up right away. He also mentioned it would be nice if you could join him for dinner.”

“Tell him I will.”

If I told an elderly man that his grandson had just broken off an engagement arranged since childhood, he might actually faint.

But after dealing with those damn crazy Alphas, I decided to push through no matter what.

‘Honestly… it might even be better if he just tells me I’m not his grandson.’

Seong Chanyeong’s family wasn’t my family.

If I wanted to avoid getting swept up in the original plot, it was smarter to keep my distance from the start.

‘Well… I won’t die, right?’

With that mindset, I picked out the most neat and formal suit I could find from the closet and put it on.

I also packed an extra set of clothes and a towel, just in case Chairman Seong exploded on me.

I headed to the main house in Secretary Choi’s car, tense as hell, but the atmosphere there was completely different from what I expected.

“Oh my baby, you’re here!”

Why…

Seriously, why was Chairman Seong greeting me with a bright smile, running out to welcome me?

For a second, I thought there should be something like ‘you little bastard’ or ‘you ungrateful brat’ between ‘my’ and ‘baby,’ but instead, he called me warmly again.

“You must’ve had a hard time coming all this way. Oh dear, your face has gotten so thin.”

‘I didn’t have a hard time though…’

Chanyeong’s house wasn’t even that far from the main residence.

If anything, the only one who struggled was Secretary Choi, who had been driving.

And my face wasn’t thin at all.

Lately, I’d been eating whatever I wanted with my unlimited money, and my skin was practically glowing.

Even Secretary Choi had joked that I didn’t need a dermatologist appointment anymore.

It didn’t even take a second to process all that before I came to a conclusion.

‘Ah, he’s just being polite!’

No matter how terrible a person I was, a grandson was still a grandson.

Blood was thicker than water, after all.

It seemed Chairman Seong had no intention of outright rejecting his own flesh and blood.

‘Or maybe he just wants to keep up appearances in front of others.’

The staff were lined up neatly on both sides, bowing in unison.

It was suffocating.

If I got disowned in front of all these people, I’d probably want to dig a hole and disappear on the spot.

So I decided to just act like a well-behaved grandson.

‘I still have to bring up the broken engagement with Baek Dojun later.’

“Thank you for coming out to greet me, Grandfather.”

Since I knew the atmosphere would instantly freeze once I mentioned the broken engagement, I decided to be extra polite this time.

No matter how terrible Chanyeong had been, I didn’t have the guts to act recklessly in front of Chairman Seong.

So I simply bowed respectfully.

And then—

I heard a strange sniffling sound somewhere.

“Hmm… let’s go inside.”

‘Huh?’

I raised my head and looked at him.

For some reason… his eyes looked slightly teary.

‘His expression is still as fierce as ever though…?’

What the hell?

Did I mess something up?

I didn’t say anything wrong.

While I was still confused, Chairman Seong suddenly strode forward with his usual imposing presence, as if nothing had happened.

‘Yeah, right. I must’ve imagined it.’

There was no way the fearless head of a conglomerate would suddenly get emotional.

“Jinju! My grandson is here today, so prepare a feast fit to break the table!”

Was that his way of saying my legs were going to break instead?

“I’m really fine, Grandfather.”

A feast was way too much for a grandson who came here to break off an engagement.

It felt like it might turn into my funeral meal instead.

“Now, now. This old man prepared everything specially as nourishing dishes just for you. Don’t refuse—accept it.”

Why did ‘don’t refuse’ sound like ‘drink this poison’?

At this point, getting indigestion felt like the least of my problems.

Was my hearing broken or something?

‘More importantly… why nourishing food?’

Was this like Hansel and Gretel, feeding me well before killing me?

So even a ghost that dies after eating would look better?

Everything Chairman Seong said sounded threatening.

Maybe it was because of the faint Alpha pheromones I’d been sensing since earlier.

‘He’s surprisingly energetic for his age.’

Chanyeong’s weak Omega pheromones couldn’t even begin to handle this pressure.

Just sitting in front of him made me break out in a cold sweat.

Was this his real nature?

“You should eat more than me, Grandfather.”

I barely managed to speak, my body trembling from both tension and pheromonal pressure.

But again, something felt off.

“O-Our Chanyeong is saying something so thoughtful.”

“…Pardon?”

Wasn’t that just something anyone would say?

“Ahem… never mind. Go ahead and eat. It tastes best while it’s still warm.”

Chairman Seong poured me a glass of expensive-looking liquor and handed it over.

The table was filled with an extravagant feast.

It looked like something out of an imperial banquet.

‘That looks amazing…’

My tongue, already spoiled by high-end meals, was practically screaming at me to start eating.

But I couldn’t touch anything until he did.

That was basic table etiquette.

So I just waited.

And then—

“My goodness… Chanyeong, are you waiting for me to start first?”

“…Yes.”

“How admirable. Hah… I had no idea you were such a kind child. This grandfather has misunderstood you all this time.”

“…What?”

What was going on right now?

“Perhaps Doctor Kim was right after all…”

He muttered quietly, then looked at me with deeply moved eyes.

“From now on, this grandfather will protect you!”

“I don’t quite understand what you mean…”

“It’s alright! Don’t refuse—just accept it!”

What was this?

Was he talking about giving me a check or something?

Just looking at his intense, shining eyes made my head pound from the pheromones again.

‘Whatever it is, I’ll just agree for now.’

“…Yes, understood.”

At that, his face lit up with pure happiness.

Then he grabbed a lobster claw and cracked it open with his bare hands, pulling out the meat for me.

The crunching sound was oddly impressive.

He didn’t even use scissors.

As expected of a dominant Alpha.

I straightened my posture even more.

I did not want to end up like that lobster.

“…There must be a lot you’ve held against me, yet you accepted it so easily. Thank you. Here, try some lobster.”

“…Thank you.”

I took the plump piece of lobster meat with both hands and put it in my mouth.

It melted instantly.

It was incredible.

As I chewed happily, I felt a gaze on me.

‘Why… why is he staring at me like that?’

Even without looking, I knew it was Chairman Seong.

We were the only two at the table.

The food was amazing, but I had a bad feeling I might not even digest it properly at this rate.

And then—

Something felt wrong.

My whole body started itching.

My throat felt scratchy.

A terrible sense of dread crept in.

‘Oh, sh*t.’

“…Grandfather.”

“Yes? What is it? Want more? There’s fresh sweet shrimp sashimi too.”

“Please… call an ambulance. Quickly. Please.”

This was clearly an allergic reaction.

And not a mild one.

‘Fck… this wasn’t in the original story. How the hell was I supposed to know what Seong Chanyeong couldn’t eat?’

Now that I thought about it, there hadn’t been any seafood in the fridge.

I thought it was just his preference.

But no—he couldn’t eat it.

Then why didn’t his own family know that?

…Or did they know, and still do this?

‘Please don’t let it be that…’

No matter how awful Chanyeong was, that would be too cruel.

“Oh my god! My baby! Doctor Kim! Doctor Kim!”

‘Too loud, Grandfather…’

My consciousness began to fade.

My face and body burned.

My skin stung unbearably.

“Pa… pa…”

Even as I was losing consciousness, I tried to say what I came here for—to break off the engagement with Baek Dojun.

Thankfully, Chairman Seong leaned in close to hear me.

“Yes! Chanyeong, what are you trying to say?”

“Pa… pa…”

“Is it green onion? Or… should I call your father? Hm?”

I almost laughed.

Seriously, what did green onions or my father have to do with this?

“…I broke… the engagement. With Baek Dojun…”

“What?”

“That’s… why I came… today.”