By Zephyria 
Knock, knock. A knock sounded on the room door, and it opened. Secretary Park started to step inside but immediately took a step back, recoiling from the scent of white sandalwood permeating the air. Seo Yi-kyung seemed to be sitting on the sofa, but Han Seung-jae was standing in front of him, obscuring the view of his condition.
Despite this, Secretary Park quickly grasped the situation and was about to close the door when Han Seung-jae tilted his head back slightly. Blood from the previous incident was splattered across his jaw, the back of his hand, his dress shirt, and his tie. Moreover, Han Seung-jae’s expression was so excessively cold that Secretary Park felt a chill run down his spine, speaking with a tense gaze.
“I believe you may come out now. The commotion outside has just been settled.”
Han Seung-jae turned his head back forward. Secretary Park stood still for a moment. From the time he had confirmed Seo Yi-kyung’s location until he arrived here, Han Seung-jae’s mood had been beyond unpleasant.
Just a few hours ago, Secretary Park had been utterly perplexed after receiving a report about Seo Yi-kyung from the driver. Furthermore, to hear that he had fled in another car—Secretary Park had agonized over how to deliver this news to Han Seung-jae. However, there was no other clever way. The longer he delayed, the more troublesome it would become.
Secretary Park had approached Han Seung-jae, who was working at his desk, and reported the situation.
—I received an urgent message from the driver that he fled… rather, moved, in another vehicle. He says he pursued him urgently but lost track of him.
Han Seung-jae’s gaze was so scathing that even Secretary Park stumbled over his words.
—Are you calling that a report right now?
—I will verify his current location immediately.
Until then, the reports had only been about visits to art supply stores, exhibitions, or viewing artworks. Because his range of movement was extremely narrow, even Secretary Park had memorized Seo Yi-kyung’s routine by heart.
But when did he start stepping outside the expected boundaries? He could dismiss a visit to the park as going there to paint. But an ‘Alpha Club’—Secretary Park himself couldn’t believe it when he first received the report and had verified it several times.
While tracking Seo Yi-kyung’s location and traveling by car, Han Seung-jae looked down at the phone he had taken from his inner pocket with a sharp glint in his eyes. It would have been a very simple matter if he had just contacted Seo Yi-kyung, but he only gave orders to locate him and did not do so. Furthermore, he didn’t stop at sending people; he headed there himself, as if he wanted to see it with his own eyes.
Vrrr— The vibration of a phone echoing in the room brought Secretary Park back to the present. Recalling the events of a moment ago, he shook off his distracting thoughts.
Han Seung-jae’s long upper body leaned forward. He pulled the phone out of Seo Yi-kyung’s back pocket. The caller was Jin Seon-yu.
Ignoring the incessantly ringing phone, Han Seung-jae slid his arm behind the knees of Seo Yi-kyung, who was leaning against the sofa, and lifted him up. With a suit jacket draped over his shoulders, Seo Yi-kyung was carried out in Han Seung-jae’s arms.
Reacting instantly, Secretary Park’s pace quickened. Seeing Seo Yi-kyung appearing to be unconscious, he practically ran across the empty club, where only an artificial waterfall flowed. Only the traces of people who had stayed remained on the tables.
Secretary Park opened the rear door of the parked sedan. As Han Seung-jae emerged from the building, the shadows receded and light fell diagonally across him. The vibration of the phone in Han Seung-jae’s grip abruptly stopped. Simultaneously, Jin Seon-yu’s urgent voice was heard.
“Yi-kyung!”
Han Seung-jae cast a glance. He looked at Jin Seon-yu, who was wearing sunglasses, and Kwon Gwi-jun beside him.
Finding it increasingly difficult to maintain his composure against the Alpha pheromones, Jin Seon-yu had blindly rushed outside. Because tears blurred his vision, he hadn’t had the capacity to look around. Soon after, realizing he had left Seo Yi-kyung behind, he tried to go back, but for some reason, he was blocked by guards. In fact, many people had been kicked out all at once. Among them, he had desperately searched for Seo Yi-kyung and called his phone, but there was no connection.
“What happened?”
Jin Seon-yu asked, his voice choked. Held in Han Seung-jae’s arms with cheeks turned red, Seo Yi-kyung had his eyes closed. Although his shoulders were wrapped in a large suit, a torn shirt was visible through the open front.
Startled, Jin Seon-yu looked up. Then, Han Seung-jae’s low tone poured out accusations.
“Why are you asking me that? And I believe I should be the one saying those words. Don’t you think?”
Jin Seon-yu froze as if he had been doused in cold water. In particular, Han Seung-jae’s blood-stained gaze was terrifyingly intense.
As Jin Seon-yu remained speechless, Kwon Gwi-jun stepped in.
“Is he badly hurt?”
Kwon Gwi-jun had heard many reports about Han Seung-jae from various places, including gatherings where only Alphas congregated. Consequently, he was someone he wanted to avoid as much as possible. Han Seung-jae was sensitive and didn’t trust others, making him difficult to deal with. He could stifle a person’s breath just by making eye contact. Moreover, if Seo Yi-kyung weren’t in his two hands right now, he might have grabbed Jin Seon-yu by the throat. That was how extraordinary his scathing gaze was.
However, that applied to Kwon Gwi-jun as well. Han Seung-jae’s chilling gaze shifted sideways.
“Are those eyes just useless decorations? You have no grasp of the situation at all.”
“…….”
Kwon Gwi-jun swallowed hard. Just as he was about to answer—Honk!—a car approached, honked its horn, and stopped behind the sedan, and Jin Seok-young stepped out from the driver’s seat.
“Jin Seon-yu! You, get over here right now!”
Jin Seok-young approached in one stride and stood in front of Jin Seon-yu. Because of this, Jin Seon-yu was not only pushed back but was completely blocked from Han Seung-jae’s view. Then, Jin Seok-young grabbed Kwon Gwi-jun by the collar.
“You bastard, I told you to stop the car! And yet you bolted?”
Han Seung-jae slowly turned his head, bent his upper body, and slid into the open back seat. Thud. Secretary Park closed the sedan door for him.
“Fuck, what the hell were you thinking to make things this messy?”
Glancing at the sedan as it drove away leisurely, Jin Seok-young shook Kwon Gwi-jun back and forth by the collar.
“Do you think Hyung Tae-won will stay quiet if he finds out? No, before that, do you think Director Han will just let this go!”
Kwon Gwi-jun raised his hand and grabbed Jin Seok-young’s arm.
“I will go and apologize……”
“Apologize my ass! Do you think Director Han will even meet you?”
Jin Seok-young had gone to meet Han Seung-jae only to be turned away at the door for several hours. He couldn’t even bring himself to mention that he had stood there like a discarded sack of barley.
Feeling his pride wounded just by recalling it, Jin Seok-young released Kwon Gwi-jun’s collar as if throwing him away. Kwon Gwi-jun’s upper body swayed slightly, but he regained his balance easily.
Jin Seok-young clutched his head.
“Things have gotten filthy tangled.”
Jin Seon-yu, who had been pushed back, spoke.
“It’s my fault. Because I came here to meet Gyu-ho.”
“Gyu-ho again? Listen carefully.”
Jin Seok-young let go of the hand clutching his head. He stared at Jin Seon-yu with a serious face.
That the families had already agreed to break off the engagement with Ham Gyu-ho… and that the other side had even babbled as if Jin Seon-yu had some great flaw. Therefore, it was an irreversible relationship. Those words lingered in his mouth, but Jin Seok-young could not convey that fact to Jin Seon-yu.
Because he knew very well how much Jin Seon-yu had liked Ham Gyu-ho since they were young. And as a beloved younger brother, he didn’t want him to be hurt by anyone.
“It’s not your fault.”
As expected, Jin Seok-young could not say the words that needed to be said the most. Even Jin Tae-won couldn’t do it and only kept him locked away, so how could he possibly do it?
“Just get in the car, quickly.”
Jin Seok-young pushed Jin Seon-yu’s back with his large hand.
“You prepare to be beaten separately later.”
Jin Seok-young threatened Kwon Gwi-jun and walked away. He put Jin Seon-yu in the passenger seat, returned to the driver’s seat, and drove the car.
“……I know what Hyung is trying to say.”
As the car stopped at a signal, Jin Seok-young’s head turned sideways. Jin Seon-yu murmured in a crawling voice with his head half-bowed.
“The engagement is off, right? Gi-jun told me everything.”
He had seemed unusually defeated, and it seemed he had finally heard the news.
“That bastard told you?”
Jin Seok-young pondered whether he should curse Kwon Gwi-jun or praise him, then decided against it. Either way, that wasn’t what was important. The important issue now was that an innocent person, unrelated to this, had become entangled.
—Doing work like that. You sure can talk.
—Director Han.
—So, why do you drag in unrelated people and create problems? It’s only ending at this level because he wasn’t hurt.
Jin Seok-young recalled the verbal spat that had occurred in front of the art supply store. At that time, while trying to catch Jin Seon-yu who had run away from home, Seo Yi-kyung had become involved. He recalled the look in Han Seung-jae’s eyes when they faced each other.
Jin Seok-young slammed his fist against the steering wheel. Things are fucked up.
Back then, they got away with it because he was luckily unhurt, but today was different. Seo Yi-kyung, who was in Han Seung-jae’s arms, was clearly unconscious.
If Jin Seok-young hadn’t appeared just in time to push Jin Seon-yu back and intentionally bicker with Kwon Gwi-jun, Han Seung-jae would have slammed the two of them onto the ground right then and there.
* * *
Inside the fast-moving car, Han Seung-jae’s cold profile was reflected in the darkened window. Supporting Seo Yi-kyung’s slender back with one hand, he looked at him sitting on his thigh.
Had he forgotten the fact that he was an extreme dominant Omega? To walk into an ‘Alpha Club’ with this body. Since Alphas in their heat period also visited, it was a place where an Omega would find it difficult to even maintain their balance due to the thick pheromones. Thus, if one were to get caught up in it, regardless of intention, it would be like spreading one’s legs voluntarily.
While thinking that the Seo Yi-kyung he knew would never have gone there on purpose, Han Seung-jae felt he wouldn’t be satisfied until he saw it with his own eyes. The Seo Yi-kyung he had received data on before the marriage lived a tedious, excessively boring, and formulaic daily life.
“Why are you doing things you’ve never done?”
There was no answer from the sleeping Seo Yi-kyung. Han Seung-jae stroked the neck revealed by the open suit jacket. He was originally on the pale side, but because he was exceptionally pale now, the wounds left on his cheeks and neck stood out.
“I should have broken his neck instead of his hand.”
“…….”
Secretary Park stopped himself from thinking about the person who had already been torn to shreds inside the room. A heavy silence hung in the car. Secretary Park was almost distressed by the white sandalwood scent filling the interior. It was vividly revealing Han Seung-jae’s twisted mood.
“I can still smell it.”
Secretary Park held his breath. To him, only the white sandalwood filling the car was perceptible, but not to Han Seung-jae. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to soothe his sensitively heightened nerves. Even after rubbing his cock like that and spraying seed, the faint scent of another Alpha was emanating from Seo Yi-kyung’s body.
Han Seung-jae slowly touched Seo Yi-kyung’s cheek with his fingertips. If he were pretending to sleep, he would have opened his eyes by now. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t feel pain, so seeing him keep his eyes closed, had he really fainted?
“We have arrived.”
As the rear door of the car opened, Han Seung-jae cradled Seo Yi-kyung and stepped out. As Han Seung-jae crossed the lit garden, Seo Yi-kyung’s bare chest touched his vest. As he entered the house, Butler Do, who had come out to greet them, cried out in shock.
“Young Master!”
“Don’t make a fuss.”
Han Seung-jae’s gaze was quite piercing.
“I-I am sorry.”
Butler Do gathered his hands in front of him and stepped back.
As Han Seung-jae entered the elevator, Secretary Park, who had been pressing the button in front of it, bowed.
“I will come to pick you up tomorrow.”
“…….”
There was no answer.
Secretary Park withdrew the hand that had been pressing the button. The door slid shut. Right now, Han Seung-jae might not stop until he made someone unable to use their limbs. Therefore, one must not provoke his mood.
* * *
Swoosh—
Han Seung-jae made Seo Yi-kyung lean against the bathtub and pressed the button on the wall to adjust the water temperature. The numbers kept going down. Just like his worn-out patience.
In the first place, he had no patience to wait for Seo Yi-kyung to wake up.