Seeds of Peace, Roots of Trouble

“Why is he eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation and then throwing out ridiculous suggestions like that?”

Joo Taegang’s offer to remove the pheromones was poison to me.

Seong Chanyeong was a recessive Omega, and because of that trait, he could easily collapse under an Alpha’s marking pheromones.

‘It already feels off every time I take suppressants on schedule…’

When I moved here, I stocked up on as many Omega suppressants as possible and kept them in the drawer in my room, taking them whenever the cycle approached.

The timing was automatically calculated and notified by the phone Chanyeong had set up, so at least that part was convenient.

‘This is one thing I just can’t get used to.’

If I was even a little late taking them, my whole body would heat up.

And starting from places I couldn’t even talk about, an unbearable itch would spread.

Every time that physiological urge for an Alpha surfaced, I obediently swallowed the pills with water.

As I did, I couldn’t tell whether to laugh or cry at the fact that I was preserving my dignity this way.

‘Even now, the situation isn’t great.’

Of all things, those bastards were all Alphas, and just being in the same house as them was deeply uncomfortable.

But since I had accepted the conditions, I couldn’t kick them out, and the annex was already occupied by Seo Eunsu, so I couldn’t just throw him out and shove all the Alphas there either.

‘That would be rude to Eunsu.’

And now that Eunsu was an Alpha too, changing living arrangements wouldn’t make much difference anyway.

Suffering under stress, I watered my cute little sprouts, the only things that could bring me peace.

“Let’s see. The lettuce is growing fast, and the perilla leaves will probably take a bit longer before they’re ready to pick.”

The other leafy vegetables were in a similar state.

I wondered if I should plant chili peppers, cherry tomatoes, and eggplants in the remaining space.

“I’m not growing a lot, just enough for myself… but I do want to try cultivating different kinds.”

Once I harvested them, I planned to give some to the housekeeper as well.

I wasn’t going to sell them, so she’d probably cook them with care and enjoy them.

That would make me happy too.

‘Although… if I give them to her, she’ll probably cook them and bring them right back to me…’

The housekeeper didn’t have grandchildren, so maybe she saw me as a substitute.

She took care of me with excessive devotion.

No matter how much I told her not to, it didn’t help.

“I’ll think about the rest later. For now, I’ll just try everything I want.”

Eggplant would be good grilled or fried.

It was often eaten as a seasoned dish too, but I hated that mushy texture, so not really my thing.

If she ever cooked for me, I made a mental note to ask her to avoid that dish.

Cherry tomatoes and chili peppers were beginner-friendly crops.

They were even grown in school gardens for children’s education.

Once fully grown, the tomatoes would make a nice snack, and the peppers would go perfectly dipped in ssamjang with meat or soy sauce marinated crab.

“Alright. Let’s plant more.”

Even though it was just a few, my heart raced.

Was this the real charm of farming?

For a complete beginner, I was way too excited over everything.

‘If my parents saw me now, what would they say?’

Would they praise me for finally doing the farming I always wanted?

Or would they worry about their frail son and tell me to go inside and rest?

Thunk, thunk.

As I dug into the soil of the garden with a shovel and scattered chili seeds, I drifted into thought.

‘Why am I even thinking about things I’ll never hear? Just work.’

Planning to either buy cherry tomato seedlings later or have Secretary Choi bring them, I stepped into the greenhouse.

Maybe because it was still spring, there wasn’t much temperature difference inside and outside.

For strawberries, the ideal growing conditions were around 17–18°C during the day and about 8°C at night, so this place would probably be cooler in the summer.

“Automated systems really are nice.”

On my phone screen, data about the strawberry growth environment was neatly displayed.

Using smart farm technology to grow strawberries was definitely convenient.

Originally, I had planned to grow them the traditional way like back home, but since I now had the wealth of a villainous chaebol, I figured I might as well enjoy the perks of modern automation.

‘Besides, strawberries are notoriously hard for beginners.’

They were common and familiar in the market, but growing them was difficult enough that it was often better to just buy them.

Even though I had only planted seedlings, some had already gone bad, making me swallow my tears as I replaced them.

Building up the soil into mounds, covering them with plastic, and seeing the strawberry seedlings poking through…

I felt like I could vaguely understand how parents felt.

“Grow well, okay? I really want to taste strawberries I’ve grown myself.”

When I harvested them, I’d definitely make jam.

A homemade strawberry jam with a perfect 1:1 ratio of sugar and strawberries.

I’d spread it on toast, mix it into milk for strawberry lattes, try all kinds of things.

The tension caused by Eunsu and Taegang slowly melted away.

After checking the greenhouse, I turned around and saw Janggun quietly waiting for me.

“You barked like crazy yesterday to protect me, didn’t you? Good boy. So cute.”

“Woof!”

I tossed him a dog chew, and he happily ran after it.

Watching him, I crouched down wherever I was—only for a shadow to fall over me.

“You can’t just sit anywhere. At least lay this down first.”

“…I’m fine.”

It was Baek Dojun.

He was holding out a handkerchief, telling me to sit on it.

The neatly embroidered butterfly on it made it feel like a waste to use it just to sit on dirt.

“No thanks. You use it.”

“…Chanyeong. Your body isn’t even in good condition, and you’re doing this.”

“I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, but I’m healthy. Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”

Since Dojun was the same age as Chanyeong, he spoke casually without hesitation.

And knowing that he would later directly contribute to Chanyeong’s downfall only made it worse.

“You don’t have to work today. I’m in a bad mood. The rice seeds haven’t even sprouted yet. I’ll think of some labor for you guys starting tomorrow.”

“That’s chilling.”

“That was the point.”

A gentle breeze passed by.

My straw hat rustled under the sunlight.

Unlike me—dressed in comfortable clothes, overalls, boots, gloves, and arm sleeves—Dojun looked like he stepped out of a photoshoot.

“You should stop wearing those clothes. Unless you want them ruined with dirt and sweat.”

Black slacks and a white shirt—simple but clean.

He even wore dress shoes.

Just like a proper young master, his outfit was completely unsuited for farming.

“Alright. I’ll change.”

“What I mean is, you, Chae Yunchan, Yoo Iseo, and Joo Taegang won’t last long and will leave soon anyway.”

As I thought about what to make them do, my mind kept drifting toward rice farming and planting fruit trees.

For rice, I wanted them to experience the “joy” of growing their own food.

As for fruit trees, since my family used to run an orchard, I planned to plant just three kinds and have them grow them until harvest.

‘Growing fruit trees is seriously hard…’

Fighting off pests and diseases while raising them was no joke.

Watching my family struggle to produce beautiful fruit, I had come to understand why fruit prices skyrocketed during holidays.

Growing fruit was basically signing up for suffering.

Which made it perfect for driving away those persistent bastards clinging to me.

‘If they last, that’s fine too. Means I get to harvest with less effort.’

I was even planning to grow sweet potatoes.

If they endured that far, I’d admit defeat.

Though I doubted anyone would.

“You’d like it if we left?”

“Wouldn’t you? You should agree, considering how I treated you before.”

“…Yeah. I know.”

Dojun adjusted my crooked straw hat that had shifted in the wind.

Just the fact that a grown man was doing that made my skin crawl, and I frowned.

“I don’t know what changed you. The old you would’ve blushed and liked this.”

“People change. It just happened to me now.”

Seriously, why did Chanyeong beg for love from these trashy Alphas?

He could’ve chosen decent people, so why?

“I’m happiest I’ve ever been lately. Instead of worrying about me, worry about your own lives.”

I spoke coldly and turned away.

Then I added one more thing.

“Don’t you dare try to prepare my meals anymore! I won’t even let the housekeeper cook for you. If you want to eat, figure it out yourselves.”

If you don’t like it, leave.

With conditions like that, they’d drop off faster, right?

I glanced at Dojun as if he were a leech, then took Janggun with me and headed back to the house.

Ugh, I’m seriously exhausted.

Farming alone would’ve been fine—why do I have to deal with these annoying guys too?