Chapter 12
Mata and Matthew quickly made their way to the private airport. They planned to take the private jet directly to Norway.
Mata looked at Matthew.
“How do you feel about it?”
“He’s completely changed. Like he had a lobotomy,” Matthew replied, resting his chin on his hand. The kind, gentle face he had always shown to the children was nowhere to be seen. Only a cold, indifferent man remained, rivaling Mata Olpail herself in emotionlessness.
Mata sighed as she looked at him.
“That’s not a very good comparison, Matthew. And if we’re being precise, the previous version of Kyle would’ve been the one with the lobotomy.”
“Anyway, it seems he doesn’t remember ‘that incident.’”
“I think so too… Maybe it’s because of the accident. No, first of all, it’s amazing he’s even alive. According to the records, his heart had stopped,” Matthew murmured.
Hearing him mumble, Mata Olpail paused briefly before speaking again.
“Was it you?”
“Me?”
“You. To Kyle. I mean, with Kyle.”
Matthew Olpail deliberately left his sentence unfinished and looked at Mata. But his eyes held none of the warmth or humanity he had shown in the hospital. He tilted his head as he stared at her.
“I thought it was you.”
“…No.”
“You don’t think I’d believe that, do you, Mata?”
“Don’t think I’d believe you either, Matthew.”
They fell silent for a moment, the air thick with tension.
“….”
Mata crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.
Kyle, who had previously ignored her and showed no reaction as if broken, had changed. That gaze—directly confronting her while pointing out Ian’s rudeness—was something she had never seen from him before.
The Kyle she remembered had never once protested like that.
He wasn’t simply shy or introverted. Mata Olpail felt that Kyle wasn’t enduring those around him out of kindness. It was more as if he was holding back, waiting for the right time.
“Still… it’s a relief, I guess.”
At Matthew’s words, Mata lifted her head.
“A relief?”
“…It feels like he’s finally sharp in the way we want. And he doesn’t seem to remember ‘that incident,’ plus today’s negotiation went well.”
Mata raised her eyebrows. Though something still worried her, Matthew’s words were accurate. He glanced at her briefly before turning his gaze back to the window.
“It’s better this way. I hope he remembers nothing. And if he continues living to only help Olpail… he might stay safe.”
“Safe, at least around you?”
“‘We,’ Matthew. And remember—if Kyle remembers everything, you’ll be in more danger than I am.”
Matthew looked at her, then reluctantly nodded.
That night, LA.
“How can he treat us like this?”
Ian huffed, tossing documents across the room.
Documents they had been preparing for the engagement flew everywhere. Ian had an interest in fashion and wanted to meticulously plan his wedding.
It wasn’t a bad choice. Rather than forcing Ian, who was not suited for pharmaceuticals or science, into those industries, it made sense to put him in the fashion world where he could thrive and even become an influencer. With Taim’s full support and Olpail’s financial power, it wasn’t just a dream.
But that was all yesterday. With Mata Olpail’s “stop” signal, everything had been nullified. Ian could stomp and scream all he wanted—it was useless.
When Ian had first heard that Mata and Matthew Olpail would personally visit the hospital to have dinner for Kyle, he was secretly furious. Even the most supportive parents wouldn’t have hosted such a meal. The great benefactor parents who adopted Kyle only offered ceremonial kindness, never real emotional support.
Outwardly, Ian convinced himself it was just a check on Kyle’s condition, but inwardly, he was jealous. And he wanted to interfere—nothing more.
“I don’t get why Mom’s suddenly protecting that guy. He dies and comes back, and suddenly that’s it? That’s all it takes? I feel so wronged!”
“It’s not protecting, Ian,” Keith replied, sitting cross-legged and staring into his teacup.
“You overreacted. You suddenly got angry and said things you shouldn’t have,” he continued calmly.
The two of them had been ejected from Kyle’s hospital room and then returned together on the private jet. There was a practical excuse: Ian’s base was in LA, and Keith had another business meeting there. They had planned to watch over Kyle, leave the hospital on good terms, share a conversation at Ian’s residence, and part amicably.
“I didn’t think it would turn into such a loser meeting. Getting chased out with you, of all people—I never expected it.”
Keith’s sudden comment made Ian feel embarrassed. But Keith didn’t try to soothe him and simply lifted his teacup.
Ignoring the cream and sugar, Keith drank calmly, a smooth, effortless motion. Ian forgot his anger and watched him.
Keith had a history as an athlete and had gone to a prestigious university. But it was more than that.
Keith wasn’t an Olpail management successor candidate just because he was slightly smarter than Ian. He exuded charisma that commanded attention, a natural charm.
Inherited networks from their parents, plus his own personal magnetism, were Keith’s greatest weapon.
Even after being scolded, Ian couldn’t take his eyes off Keith. He envied his older brother’s presence.
Keith had always been a symbol of aspiration to Ian. Once, he believed he could be like him if he tried, but he realized it wasn’t about looks alone.
And Ian was certain their parents recognized this too, which was why Keith had been chosen as the heir.
But yesterday, everything had been ruined.
“What do you want from me? You’re jealous because Mom came here, and now you’re trying to tear down what I achieved. What if I’m not lying? What do you gain by claiming I tried to kill myself? Do you just want to hurt me? Why? So this time, I’ll die using your name?”
“…He was really weird yesterday…”
Ian bit his lower lip, recalling Kyle’s terrifyingly intense gaze, each word weighed and measured, leaving a lingering chill.
Ian always thought when observing Kyle that attitude mattered more than brand names. His hunched posture, careful steps, his constantly retracted chin—Kyle acted like a mouse despite a perfect physique.
Even in fine suits, he didn’t exude any presence. The effort of designers and materials seemed wasted.
His small frame was an illusion; even in a hospital gown, Kyle carried himself confidently, his fully squared shoulders rivaling Ian’s own stature.
Perhaps that’s why Ian had overreacted. Like a small dog barking fiercely to hide its weakness… Wait, a Chihuahua?
Ian’s eyes darted anxiously, his thoughts tangled.
He couldn’t believe it.
Had he ever been so terrified of Kyle?
Recalling that moment, Ian trembled violently. He couldn’t bear it.
‘It felt like looking at a demon.’
Kyle seemed to instinctively read his deadliest weakness.
Ian shook his head violently, trying to physically dispel the thought. Then he strode toward Keith, placing a hand on his shoulder with a threatening stance.
“But brother… still, this Olpail will go to the eldest,” he said.
“Maybe.”
“…What?”
“We’ll see.”
“What? Why?”
“Mom said it herself: ‘I haven’t decided on the CEO of Olpail Pharmaceuticals yet.’”
“But isn’t that just a surface-level excuse for security?”
“No.”
Keith shook his head briefly, deep in thought.
He had clearly read between the lines of Mata Olpail’s words. Her statement about not deciding the CEO wasn’t just about Kyle’s safety—it meant Keith hadn’t won yet.
He also noticed Kyle’s transformation. When he went to receive Kyle’s body after hearing of his death, Kyle rose and looked directly at him, his expression subtly arrogant. From that moment, he was a completely different person.
It wasn’t an accident. He didn’t try to die on his own. You know that. Someone tried to kill me.
Kyle’s eyes were calm but serious.
It was the truth.
But Keith couldn’t understand it from a slightly different perspective.
For him, the question wasn’t who tried to kill Kyle; it was why. Normally, key figures or predecessors are targeted first. If someone is important, they are removed—like a protruding nail struck first by a hammer.
So if someone tried to kill him, shouldn’t it have been Keith instead? Keith knew the company better. He was confident in that.
But why Kyle?
