When the Past Comes Looking

“No. I didn’t bring this up to receive an apology from you, Grandfather……”

Caught completely off guard, I panicked and tried to calm Chairman Seong down somehow, but it was already too late.

Just from the sound of his sniffling on the other end, it was obvious there was no stopping him anymore.

Chairman Seong… truly cried his heart out, nothing like the cold, ruthless dominant Alpha grandfather from the original story.

[ I had no idea your loneliness and sorrow ran so deep. This is all my failing. As Bokdori said, I should have paid more attention to my son’s family. ]

“No… I—”

[ Ignorance can be a sin as well. I didn’t realize you were hurt enough to want to cut ties with your family. I’m sorry…… ]

This isn’t working.

Judging by the way he’s talking, it feels like he’s already peeled an entire bundle of garlic. Maybe onions too.

‘This is bad.’

The more guilty Chairman Seong sounded, the more I felt like the sinner instead.

I’m not the real Seong Chanyeong anyway, so I don’t have any personal resentment toward him at all.

‘Except for the fact that this call is insanely uncomfortable…….’

I tried to comfort the sobbing old man, but every attempt just bounced right off.

He was a tough opponent.

In the end, I gave up and just let Chairman Seong cry.

‘Whatever misunderstanding piled up, he’ll sort it out himself later.’

I don’t know who’s been feeding him nonsense, but time heals most things.

The chairman’s sharp enough—he’ll eventually realize something’s off.

At least, that’s what I decided to believe.

[ Ahem… ahem. My apologies. I’ve shown you an unsightly side of myself over the phone. ]

After crying for quite a while, Chairman Seong finally regained his composure when I stayed silent and just listened, clearing his throat.

Even that forced cough came with wet, sniffly sounds, making the whole thing feel like a comedy.

“It’s good that you’ve calmed down. I’m really okay.”

[ ……I understand that you have no intention of returning. I won’t force you to come back to the main house anymore. ]

“Thank you for understanding.”

[ Instead… would it be alright if I visited you occasionally later on? ]

“That… would be fine.”

[ I see. ]

Good.

For now, this counts as a happy ending.

I felt ridiculously satisfied watching the original plot—which had been slowly crawling back toward me through Chairman Seong’s call—plunge straight off a cliff.

‘Screw the original story.’

If anything tries to disturb my peaceful transmigration life, I won’t let it slide.

It’ll never happen, but hypothetically, if those male leads come chasing after me…

I was fully prepared to crack their heads open with a hoe.

Fueled by burning determination, I tightened my grip on the hoe.

Having been rolling around in the dirt, Janggun noticed something off about my mood and came sprinting over.

“Woof! Woof woof!”

“Janggun, it’s okay. Dad’s fine. No one’s dragging me away.”

Strangely enough, whenever I felt down or started missing my old home, Janggun would come running from somewhere, pressing his soft, fluffy head against me and rubbing up affectionately.

Cute little thing.

Whenever Janggun acted all clingy, I’d instantly cave—petting him to my heart’s content, scratching under his chin, playing with his toys, taking him for walks… and just like that, my worries would fade.

What a brave, admirable, and lovable companion.

I’m seriously surviving because of you.

As I pulled a snack out of my pocket to feed Janggun, Chairman Seong asked in a startled voice,

[ A d… dog? You’re raising a dog? ]

“Yes.”

[ You? A dog? ]

The tone of his question didn’t feel good at all.

He sounded like someone who had just witnessed a lifelong vegetarian devouring a full meat feast.

‘The real Seong Chanyeong must have hated animals.’

But what can I do?

I’ve already done plenty of things the real Chanyeong would never have done in his life.

‘It’ll be fine, right?’

The anxiety I had at the beginning—worrying I might get found out—had already faded.

I’d cut myself off from the original story’s characters, so I figured I could relax a bit.

So I answered casually,

“Yes. I adopted a puppy after coming here. I found him falling off a truck, and that’s how we met.

His name is Janggun. He’s very brave and smart—a really great companion.”

[ You saved a puppy… and you’re even proud of it……. sniff ]

“……Grandfather? Are you crying?”

All I did was excitedly gush about Janggun, but Chairman Seong burst into tears again.

At this point, he might as well be a faucet.

‘Wait… are dominant Alphas usually this tearful?’

I thought even at his age, a dominant Alpha wouldn’t go down easily anywhere.

And I’ve read enough of those novels my sister obsessively recommended—even ones with middle-aged tops—to know this doesn’t make sense at all.

‘Is this… menopause?’

Even dominant Alphas can’t escape it?

Hormones are terrifying.

Clicking my tongue inwardly, I heard Chairman Seong speak cautiously,

[ By any chance… are you feeling unwell? I was worried about your health, so I called as soon as I got your number. ]

Huh?

Wasn’t Seong Chanyeong perfectly healthy in the original story?

The sudden shift to health concerns felt strange, but I answered anyway,

“I’m perfectly fine. You should be the one taking care of your health, Grandfather.”

Ever since coming down to this countryside—my emotional hometown—it felt like even illnesses I didn’t have would disappear.

Meanwhile, Chairman Seong kept bursting into tears, which honestly worried me a bit.

Even though it was just a polite, everyday remark, he turned into a crying mess again.

[ You’re even worrying about this useless old man… when I couldn’t even take care of you…… ]

What do you mean you didn’t take care of me?

Sure, emotional support was lacking, but the financial backing alone deserves a thank you.

Obviously, I couldn’t say that out loud, so I just smiled and tried to wrap things up.

“I’m living freely here, so both my body and mind feel at ease. Don’t worry about me—just take care of yourself.

When I have time, I’ll come visit… later.”

[ Really?! Th-then when you do, won’t you see your physician, Doctor Kim? ]

What’s with the obsession over my health?

‘No way… did Seong Chanyeong take drugs or something……?’

That thought made me uneasy, and since I had no reason to go to a hospital anyway, I declined.

“I’m perfectly fine, so I’ll only go to the hospital if I’m actually sick.”

Is he a hypochondriac or something?

There’s no need for that.

This body is incredibly sturdy.

I’m more than satisfied with it.

Does Chairman Seong even know I can easily carry a 20-kilogram sack of rice?

That I walk Janggun at least four times a day and even jog while I’m out?

[ I… see. If that’s how you feel, then there’s nothing I can do. I’m just glad you’re doing well. Let’s meet later. ]

I thought I’d ended things politely, but for some reason, Chairman Seong sounded completely deflated.

The problem was—I had no idea why.

“Yes. Please take care, Grandfather.”

It felt like the call was finally ending safely.

If not for the news Chairman Seong dropped at the last second.

[ Ah, I almost forgot. I also called to tell you this in advance. ]

“What is it?”

[ Your former fiancé, Baek Dojun, and the other Alphas… are looking for you. And they’re putting quite a bit of effort into it. ]

Clang.

The hoe slipped from my hand and hit the ground.

Janggun immediately ran over, rubbing against my legs.

“……Excuse me?”

What kind of lightning bolt out of a clear sky is this?!

[ I’ll hang up now. Stay healthy. ]

“Wait! Just a second—!”

Beep— beep— beep—

Like the ending of a drama, Chairman Seong cut the call right there.

I nearly collapsed onto the ground, speechless.

“I… I need to go home.”

The moment I heard the male leads were searching for me, all motivation vanished, and I ran straight home.

‘Good thing I at least worked the field…….’

If I hadn’t, I’d be even more restless right now.

Slacking off wasn’t an option.

There’s nothing more depressing than skipping something I actually want to do.

Seeing me return with a pale face alongside Janggun, the workers looked worried.

– Young master, did something happen? Your complexion looks terrible.

– If you’re sick, you should go to the hospital. You look like you’re about to freeze to death.

– I-I’m fine. I think I’m just coming down with a cold.

Their warm concern made my chest tighten.

And it made me feel miserable.

‘This is a novel, and I’ve possessed a villain who gets killed by the protagonists… and I can’t even say it out loud…….’

If I did, I’d be labeled insane.

There’s no way I can tell them that the male leads are tearing through the entire country looking for me.

– If it’s a cold, here—wrap this warm towel around your neck. They say one that smells like green onions helps.

– If you don’t have medicine, want to borrow some from my place?

– I’m really okay. I’ve already stocked up on basic medicine, and this kind of thing goes away with rest, so don’t worry.

The older workers kept trying to give me things to help me recover, and I barely managed to refuse before shutting myself inside the house.

Burying myself into the soft bedding like a wriggling caterpillar, I felt just a little better.

“It’ll be fine… right? There’s no way they’d come all the way here, right?”

It was a small, quiet village with barely any people.

My house was even further away, tucked into a remote corner beyond the already tiny town center.

There wasn’t even anything here to attract tourists.

Most of the residents were elderly, which made it easy to stand out—a downside.

‘Maybe I should just stay inside for a while.’

I was scared.

What if they found me again and dragged me away?

I want to believe that in a proper democratic society, no one would go that far…

But we’re talking about four obsessive male leads.

Not something to take lightly.

‘If Chairman Seong could find my number, then in the worst-case scenario… my address might already be exposed too.’

Lying under the covers, weak and still, dark thoughts spiraled endlessly.

Each one led to another, until they all ended the same way—

A bad ending where I die.

“That absolutely cannot happen.”

I’m not asking for much.

Why should I die unjustly for something I didn’t even do?

That’s insane.

I don’t want to live my life constantly watching my back either.

I came here to farm—how does it make sense that I can’t even go outside?

That’s basically self-imprisonment.

“What am I supposed to do?”

Letting out a heavy sigh, I buried my face into the pillow.

Something damp brushed against the back of my hand.