By Zephyria 
The door opened slowly, and the silhouettes of tangled people were reflected in Jin Seon-yu’s sunglasses. People were seated to the left and right, centered around Ham Gyu-ho, who sat in the middle. The fingers of Jin Seon-yu, gripping the doorknob, trembled violently.
Because of the alcohol and decorations placed on the table, the lower half of the waist wasn’t directly visible, but the moans and pheromones filling the room were more than enough to guess the situation. Despite this, Jin Seon-yu could not believe even what he saw with his own eyes and murmured.
“You… what are you doing right now?”
Only then did Ham Gyu-ho, who had been panting and shaking his body while gripping the waist of an Omega lying on the sofa, turn his head to the side. Constant, piercing screams leaked from below. Everyone by his side was an Omega.
Ham Gyu-ho looked at Jin Seon-yu without stopping his thrusting, as if he had no intention of hiding it anymore. Soon after, he spotted Kwon Gwi-jun, and Ham Gyu-ho’s lips curled up into a smirk.
“You’re screwing with my friend, so why shouldn’t I be able to do the same?”
“No. We aren’t anything—”
Jin Seon-yu lowered the handkerchief that had been covering his nose and mouth to quickly refute the misunderstanding.
Jin Seon-yu, who had taken a step inside, froze. The pheromones wafting at the tip of his nose were the scent of Ham Gyu-ho, the one he had longed for and waited for so desperately. But the mixed Omega pheromones were not his own.
“First, let’s talk.”
From Jin Seon-yu’s angle, the lower part was hidden by the table, but Ham Gyu-ho was shaking his body with a dizzying intensity.
“Stop that, first…”
Hng, ah, ah, ugh. Seon-yu’s pleas were drowned out by the Omega’s groans echoing through the room. Ham Gyu-ho seemed to have no intention of stopping. No, rather, he moved his hips as if to show Jin Seon-yu.
Jin Seon-yu forced himself to continue speaking.
“You said you were breaking off the engagement. I came to ask the reason why.”
“It’s a good thing for you.”
“How is that—”
Jin Seon-yu could not continue and raised the handkerchief to block his nose and mouth again. He felt that if he stayed like this, his lingering attachment would drive his feet forward to grab Ham Gyu-ho and beg him to stop.
“Why don’t you come over here too?”
“Ham Gyu-ho.”
Jin Seon-yu’s voice grew smaller.
“I didn’t believe what other people said.”
There had been people who told him about the series of behaviors Ham Gyu-ho had been exhibiting, but Jin Seon-yu never believed them. He hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, and he thought it was only natural for so many Omegas to approach Ham Gyu-ho because he was originally a soft and kind person.
“Because you said it wasn’t true.”
Jin Seon-yu’s shoulders trembled slightly.
“I believed your words that much.”
Watching this, Ham Gyu-ho snorted. Even while being harassed by Jin Tae-won and Jin Seok-young, he had never mentioned breaking off the engagement. The reason was that the engagement between the two had been arranged by their families from the start. Neither Ham Gyu-ho’s intentions nor Jin Seon-yu’s will were necessary.
Furthermore, Ham Gyu-ho wanted to avoid confronting his father by being the one to first ask for the annulment. Since his father liked Jin Seon-yu, he had simply played along. To Ham Gyu-ho, it was nothing more or less than adding one more Omega to his side.
In truth, he absolutely detested troublesome and annoying things. Even when Omegas who had delusional misunderstandings fought with each other, he remained a bystander. No matter what anyone said, he had zero interest. He could simply discard an Omega he grew tired of and go find a new one.
“You seem to be under some grand delusion. I have no feelings for you. Ah, I might have some for Gi-jun. Do you know why he hangs around me?”
“…….”
“It’s because of you. He’s acting all refined and putting on a whole damn show just to sleep with you once. Fuck, it’s pathetic.”
“Ham Gyu-ho!”
Jin Seon-yu shouted, lowering his handkerchief. Because of that, he suddenly inhaled the rushing pheromones, and his knees gave out, causing him to stagger. Seo Yi-kyung reached out with both hands to grab Jin Seon-yu’s arm. However, it was thanks more to Kwon Gwi-jun holding him that he didn’t fall.
Jin Seon-yu hurriedly pulled his arm out of Kwon Gwi-jun’s grip. Because of that, his center of gravity shifted more toward Seo Yi-kyung.
Jin Seon-yu looked straight ahead and spoke.
“I really didn’t know you were this kind of person.”
“Ha— really? Phew, now that you know, would you mind closing the door? Or you could come and join in.”
Seo Yi-kyung looked at the face of Jin Seon-yu, who was stepping backward. Tears were falling down his cheeks from beneath the sunglasses. Soon, Jin Seon-yu began to walk away. There was no longer any reason to stay here.
Kwon Gwi-jun likewise turned his steps.
Through the wide-open door, Ham Gyu-ho’s panting breath could be heard. Because of that, Jin Seon-yu’s pace quickened. However, whether it was because he had inhaled the Alpha pheromones or because he couldn’t suppress the surging sorrow, his legs faltered.
Eventually, Kwon Gwi-jun’s stride widened, and he overtook Seo Yi-kyung. He grabbed Jin Seon-yu’s arm. Seo Yi-kyung stared at the scene.
Realizing that the person supporting him was Kwon Gwi-jun, Jin Seon-yu tried to shake his arm off, but his legs only staggered more violently.
“Let go!”
“Just walk straight.”
Perhaps because of the rutting Alpha pheromones leaking from everywhere, Jin Seon-yu’s body was shaking regardless of his will.
Seo Yi-kyung maintained a calm expression. This was likely why Jin Tae-won and Jin Seok-young hadn’t told him. They probably wanted nothing more than to prevent Jin Seon-yu from being hurt. That was probably why Kwon Gwi-jun brought Jin Seon-yu here—to shatter the delusion.
Either way, between the broken engagement and the true nature of Ham Gyu-ho he had just witnessed, the shock was quite great in many ways, so he would need time. No matter what anyone said, Jin Seon-yu’s feelings for Ham Gyu-ho were sincere. When he talked about Ham Gyu-ho while painting in the painting studio, his face was the very definition of joy.
“Let go!”
“Walk.”
Just as Seo Yi-kyung was about to speed up while watching the backs of the two people who had distanced themselves while bickering, the door to room NO23 burst open.
“Aaaagh!”
A naked Omega rushed out. His entire body was covered in wounds. Clear marks of being beaten were visible on his neck, shoulders, waist, and legs. Seo Yi-kyung frowned. Moreover, as the door swung wide open, Alpha pheromones surged out.
It was the moment Seo Yi-kyung tried to pass by quickly. A man with his shirt open and his pants not properly fastened came out and snatched Seo Yi-kyung by the scruff of his neck.
“Ugh……”
Seo Yi-kyung’s body was dragged backward regardless of his will. He tried to tear away the man’s wrist with his hands, but his frail wrists lacked strength.
As the man dragged Seo Yi-kyung through the open door, Alpha pheromones swept in fiercely. It seemed there were two Alphas and two Omegas in the room. One of the Omegas seemed to have fled, unable to endure the beating.
Dragged backward, Seo Yi-kyung’s gaze landed on an Omega lying on the sofa. He was naked, held by his hair. He was curling his entire body, struggling desperately to avoid being hit further.
“Who is this?”
“How should I know? He was in front of me, so I just grabbed whatever was there. He smells better.”
“Hmm. You’re right.”
The man who had been pinning the Omega down by the hair showed sudden interest. Seo Yi-kyung felt no emotion toward these Alphas’ pheromones. He only felt a stinging sensation where his neck was gripped.
“You have the wrong person.”
“Wrong person my ass, you’re an Omega, aren’t you?”
Seo Yi-kyung’s short protest was easily ignored. The Omega lying on the sofa, who had been observing the surroundings with narrowed eyes, tried to push himself up with both hands to escape but was caught.
“Look at this—. Where do you think you’re going!”
At that moment, a sound like skin tearing spread. Slap! The man who had grabbed the hair of the Omega trying to escape hit him across the cheek. Still not satisfied, he stomped on the Omega’s stomach repeatedly. The Omega’s sobbing grew louder.
“Hng, please save me.”
“Who said they were going to kill you?”
The man who had been holding Seo Yi-kyung’s neck pointed to the Omega being beaten with his fingertip as if to show him.
“If you don’t want to end up like that, behave yourself.”
“I was just passing—”
Slap!
For a moment, Seo Yi-kyung’s vision went black. His neck felt as if it were being ripped off, and it was difficult to realize immediately what had happened.
Slowly, through his opening eyelids, the smirking face of the man drew closer. Soon, Seo Yi-kyung tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. Because he had been hit hard on the cheek, the tender inner lining of his cheek had been torn against his teeth, and blood leaked out. Red blood soon pooled inside Seo Yi-kyung’s lips.
“I told you to behave!”
As pain spread through his entire body, Seo Yi-kyung staggered, unable to keep his balance, before he was grabbed by the throat and slammed down onto the table. The more Seo Yi-kyung struggled as he regained consciousness, the stronger the man’s grip on his throat became.
He was suffocating. Far from speaking, it was a struggle even to breathe.
“I’m telling you, you’ll feel good soon.”
The man released his Alpha pheromones to the fullest. Even so, Seo Yi-kyung only found it disgusting.
“I told you to stay still. You really don’t listen.”
Immediately after, Seo Yi-kyung was slapped again. While gripping Seo Yi-kyung’s neck, the man grabbed the buttons of his shirt and ripped them off in one go. Shirt buttons flew in all directions.
Clink. A fork resting on a plate was caught by Seo Yi-kyung’s fingertips. Seo Yi-kyung drove the fork he gripped deep into the man’s shoulder.
“Ugh! You piece of shit.”
The man gripped Seo Yi-kyung’s neck with all his might and raised his hand to strike Seo Yi-kyung’s cheek again.
Step. The sound of clean-cut dress shoes entering through the open door drew near, and then Han Seung-jae took a bottle from the table and smashed it over the man’s head.
Crash! Shards of shattered glass flew everywhere.
‘Seung-jae.’
Looking up at Han Seung-jae’s cold face while lying on the table, Seo Yi-kyung blinked, then tightly closed his eyes as glass fragments rained down.