By Zephyria 
He also wanted to go into the bathroom and shower right now. Between his sweat-soaked hair and the feeling of Han Seung-jae’s pheromones clinging to his entire body, he felt as if he were being crushed by a weight of a thousand pounds.
“Butler Do, please help me.”
As Seo Yi-kyung reached out, Butler Do stepped forward. He had looked after Seo Yi-kyung since he was a child. He cherished Seo Yi-kyung more than his own father had, and he had been more proactive in his affairs than any sibling. Without a doubt, Butler Do was the only person in this house who could help Seo Yi-kyung. Furthermore, Seo Yi-kyung did not want anyone to suffer because of him.
“Butler Do is a Beta. You know that.”
It was a fact that Han Seung-jae knew better than anyone. More than anything, he knew what kind of person Butler Do was and how he had come to stay by his side.
In the original work, Han Seung-jae received detailed reports on everything—which exhibitions ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ was visiting, and even what art supplies he purchased when he went to the art store.
Han Seung-jae’s eyebrows arched slightly.
Additionally, Betas could not smell the scents of Alphas and Omegas. Thus, it was only natural that he was unaware of the pheromones filling the room.
At the same time, Butler Do took Seo Yi-kyung’s hand. He hesitated for a moment, then wrapped the blanket from around his waist over Seo Yi-kyung’s shoulders to help him stand.
As Seo Yi-kyung staggered while heading toward the bathroom, Butler Do held him to keep him from falling.
Watching the two move, Han Seung-jae reached out and grabbed Butler Do’s shoulder. As Butler Do turned his head back, Han Seung-jae’s low voice rang out clearly.
“I’ll do it.”
* * *
Swoosh—
Water poured relentlessly from the showerhead. Underneath it, Seo Yi-kyung’s knees buckled as he barely managed to stand. Han Seung-jae gripped his elbows to support him, but he soon slipped away amidst the soap suds.
Seo Yi-kyung raised both hands to cover his face. Foam slid down his neck, shoulders, chest, and thighs. He felt pain just from the stream of water touching him. There wasn’t a single spot that didn’t hurt.
Watching this, Han Seung-jae asked.
“Why don’t you ask me for help?”
Standing there as if pushing away the foam under the water, Seo Yi-kyung lowered his arms and replied.
“It was only because Butler Do was close by.”
While saying there was no particular meaning behind it, Seo Yi-kyung wiped his eyes. Just then, Han Seung-jae grabbed Seo Yi-kyung’s buttocks and spread them apart. Before a startled Seo Yi-kyung could look back, Han Seung-jae thrust two fingers into the hole. He curved the tips to scrape the inner walls. The semen spent throughout the night flowed out like a bursting dam along his fingertips.
“Seung-jae!”
Seo Yi-kyung took a step forward. However, Han Seung-jae’s fingers did not withdraw. He toyed with the area around the entrance.
“I… I’ll do it.”
“Why? You’re going to ask Butler Do to help with this too?”
That was impossible. Seo Yi-kyung had only wanted Butler Do’s assistance to get into the bathroom. He had intended to wash himself.
The stream of water broke over Seo Yi-kyung’s straight spine. Han Seung-jae insisted on scouring the inner walls with two fingers. His eyes brushed over Seo Yi-kyung’s nipples, which were swollen red. Then, looking at the mottled bruises on his thighs, he inserted his fingers deep inside to scrape out the semen.
Seo Yi-kyung curled his lips inward to swallow a moan. His thighs trembled violently. For some reason, the areas where Han Seung-jae’s fingers touched felt faintly tingling.
“That’s enough now.”
The moment Han Seung-jae withdrew his fingers, Seo Yi-kyung fled the shower booth. He was an opponent one could not let their guard down around for even a second.
He reached out and grabbed a bathrobe. He hurriedly slid his arms in to cover his body. Han Seung-jae walked toward him slowly. The hem of his trousers was wet from the previous act. Seo Yi-kyung urgently pulled the front of the bathrobe together.
Han Seung-jae grabbed the dangling waist tie.
“What are you afraid of? Wasn’t I gentle yesterday?”
Gentle… Seo Yi-kyung couldn’t even bring himself to refute Han Seung-jae’s words. He was beyond appalled; he was speechless. His body was in such a state that even walking was difficult, like a baby just learning to take its first steps. Where on earth had he been gentle?
While Seo Yi-kyung’s lips parted silently, Han Seung-jae lightly tied the bathrobe string and continued walking.
As they stepped out the door, Butler Do bowed. Han Seung-jae brushed past him coldly. Only then did Butler Do resume his halted steps.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes…”
Seo Yi-kyung nodded. He pulled out a towel and dried his wet hair. Butler Do handed him clothes that had been prepared in advance.
“Please change into these…”
Butler Do added, glancing at Han Seung-jae who was leaving the room.
“And then you may come out. I will be waiting in front.”
As Seo Yi-kyung took the clothes, Butler Do stepped away, and the sound of the door closing followed. Seo Yi-kyung let out a long sigh and took off the bathrobe.
Not only did he have no appetite, but he had a desperate urge to just lie down in bed. However, he couldn’t. He didn’t want Butler Do to get into trouble. The repercussions would eventually reach him as well.
He glanced at the terrace while putting on the drawers and trousers Butler Do had given him. His pajamas, which should have been there, were nowhere to be seen. It seemed Butler Do had tactfully tidied them up while he was washing.
Seo Yi-kyung put on a turtleneck and threw a cardigan over it. When he opened the door, Butler Do approached.
“Director Han has already gone down.”
As Seo Yi-kyung trudged along, Butler Do changed direction and headed toward the elevator.
Upon reaching the first floor, a passing helper greeted them. As Seo Yi-kyung looked around, Butler Do noticed the situation first and whispered.
“It seems he has already left for work.”
Only then did the tension leave Seo Yi-kyung’s stiff shoulders.
He thought it was for the best.
* * *
Sitting at a desk in a spacious office with an open view, Han Seung-jae turned his head. The door opened, and Secretary Park entered holding an envelope.
“I have reserved an art exhibition for the evening of the 16th.”
“Ah, right.”
As if he had only just remembered, Han Seung-jae flicked the hand wearing the ring. Secretary Park placed the white envelope on the desk. Then, he turned to examine the files on the shelf. On one side sat orchids, ceramics, and ornaments received as gifts. He flipped through a file and inserted a newly drafted contract.
After Secretary Park left, Han Seung-jae moved his pen again, looking down at the construction subcontract agreement sent by Woorim Construction. Woorim Construction, where Seo Yi-kyung’s father was, had been a leader in residential and commercial spaces, including apartments, officetels, and industrial centers.
After staring at the documents for a long while, he set the pen down and reached for the white envelope Secretary Park had brought. After checking the contents, he tapped the opening of the envelope rhythmically with his fingertip.
Suggesting they go to an art exhibition was purely a whim. He had said it because it was irritating how Seo Yi-kyung kept avoiding his eyes.
And for good reason—he flinched whenever their eyes met, avoided his gaze here and there, and yet, while appearing so terrified, he said everything he wanted to say. Seo Yi-kyung’s attitude was far too different from the reports he had heard and received.
As Han Seung-jae tossed the envelope onto the desk, the photos inside spilled out. They were photos of Seo Yi-kyung leaving the house in a suit late at night. Butler Do was with him. There were also photos of the two getting into a car.
And Han Seung-jae knew the final destination better than anyone. Because he was the one who had called him.
—Butler Do is a Beta. You know that.
Seo Yi-kyung’s voice brushed past Han Seung-jae’s ears.
Accepting Butler Do had been close to a favor granted by Han Seung-jae. Since Seo Yi-kyung needed time to adapt to a new environment after marriage, he thought it would be better to let him bring along one person he could trust.
He had already determined that Butler Do was a Beta. That was why he had accepted him. And there was no way Han Seung-jae wouldn’t know who was by Seo Yi-kyung’s side.
Han Seung-jae signed the construction subcontract agreement he had been reviewing. Disapproved. Closing the approval document, Han Seung-jae looked down at the photo fluttering in the draft. The eyes of Seo Yi-kyung he had seen this morning were not those of someone afraid.
Rather, they were eyes that seemed to know me quite well.
* * *
“Have you finished already?”
Butler Do, holding a plate, observed Seo Yi-kyung’s complexion. After hearing that Han Seung-jae had gone to work, Seo Yi-kyung had returned to his room to try and sleep. He was now eating a late lunch.
Despite this, the chopsticks in Seo Yi-kyung’s hand remained suspended in the air as if they had lost their way. He scanned the food on the table.
Neatly trimmed chicken and tofu, and a bean salad made with fresh green vegetables. It wasn’t that he was complaining about the side dishes, but he truly couldn’t taste any seasoning. It was beyond bland; it was tasteless.
Suddenly, he remembered the food he had eaten at the Chinese restaurant yesterday. Because Han Seung-jae had been in front of him, he hadn’t had the chance to savor the taste, but it had still suited his palate better than this.
To think that everything he ate at home was either porridge or this kind of tasteless food. No wonder he had no strength in his body. The only meat was chicken breast, and even that was placed like a garnish.
Seo Yi-kyung moved his chopsticks and put some rice in his mouth first. It wasn’t the chef’s fault. Still, if he didn’t eat something, it would be difficult even to walk. Watching him, Butler Do asked.
“Is the food not to your liking?”
Seo Yi-kyung shook his head. However, having stayed by Seo Yi-kyung’s side for a long time, Butler Do quickly noticed the change in his expression. It was clear the food was not to his liking.
Butler Do examined the plate. These were the things he always ate. There were no spicy or salty foods to be found. Nevertheless, Seo Yi-kyung finished all the given rice and side dishes cleanly and stood up.
“I ate well.”
Seo Yi-kyung turned and walked away. For a brief moment, doubt flickered across Butler Do’s face as he looked at the empty plate, then vanished.
Usually, he wouldn’t clear the plate so thoroughly, but since he skipped breakfast, he must have been hungry.
* * *
Seo Yi-kyung stepped out the front door. He walked along the stone steps in the garden. Shade rested between the well-maintained trees. Beneath it sat an outdoor table with white curved patterns.
As if remembering something, Seo Yi-kyung looked up at the terrace on the second floor. Fortunately, it was an angle that couldn’t be seen from here.
Then again, who was Han Seung-jae? A man with such a meticulous personality would never place his bedroom where it was visible to others.
After walking a bit, Seo Yi-kyung approached the table and sat down. In the morning, it felt as if his entire body was crumbling into powder, but after sleeping for a while, it was somewhat bearable.
As he pushed up the sleeve of his cardigan, his hand—marked with a blue bruise—appeared thin with prominent bones.
“Does he not exercise at all?”
In the original work, the content mostly involved him staying in the painting studio and painting. He didn’t remember any mention of exercise. Then again, the writing wouldn’t include every single detail of daily life. Han Seung-jae seemed to exercise every morning.
After doing that until dawn, the image of Han Seung-jae’s back as he went down for his morning exercise flickered in his mind. In truth, he hadn’t seen him, but had only faintly heard the sound of the door opening.
Seo Yi-kyung looked down at the finger wearing the ring. He had been so devoid of strength that he couldn’t even lift a finger and had fallen fast asleep. And when he opened his eyes, Butler Do was knocking on the door.
Step, step. Seo Yi-kyung stared at Butler Do, who was looking around the garden. As their eyes met, he immediately approached.