By Zephyria 
It was early morning. Secretary Park stepped out of the sedan and walked through the garden into the house. Butler Do greeted him politely.
“Director Han has not yet come down from the second floor.”
“I will wait.”
Secretary Park checked his wristwatch. He had arrived a bit early. As he headed toward the drawing room, Butler Do mentioned he would bring some tea and turned back the way he had come.
As Secretary Park walked toward the drawing room, his gaze landed on a certain spot. A group of helpers were gathered there in small clusters, exchanging conversation. Upon noticing Secretary Park, they bowed their waists and scattered. Secretary Park asked one of the women passing by calmly.
“Is something happening?”
Looking flustered, she glanced at her departing colleagues before recounting the conversation they had just been having.
While cleaning the previous day, she had seen an object in Min Ra-hyeon’s room and had been discussing it with her coworkers. Since she wasn’t the only one who had seen it, opinions were divided on whether it was real or fake.
“Secretary Park? I’ve brought the tea…”
Butler Do, who was approaching with teacups on a tray, trailed off. A look of doubt clouded his face. However, Secretary Park calmly brushed past Butler Do and moved toward a specific location.
Secretary Park stopped and knocked on a door. The helper who had followed him behind looked restless.
Then, the firmly closed door opened, and Min Ra-hyeon stepped out, yawning.
『Ha. I barely fell asleep at dawn. What’s going on?』
Min Ra-hyeon murmured in English. In response, Secretary Park pushed the door open with force.
『Excuse me. I heard someone saw something in this room, so I’m here to check.』
『Saw what?』
Secretary Park asked the helper as he stepped inside.
“Where did you see it?”
“O-over there.”
While mindful of Min Ra-hyeon’s gaze, she pointed her finger toward his suitcase. Min Ra-hyeon frowned, his eyes still red from sleep.
“That’s my luggage. What about it?”
Despite Min Ra-hyeon’s protest, Secretary Park flipped open the cover of the suitcase lying on the floor. He rummaged through the scattered clothes.
Although he was Han Seung-jae’s secretary, he also managed all the household affairs. While Butler Do handled the minor details, most things were done with Secretary Park conveying Han Seung-jae’s instructions.
Min Ra-hyeon placed one hand on his hip and demanded an answer from the helper.
『Tell me exactly what you saw.』
Even if she couldn’t understand his words, she could feel through her skin that he was angry. The helper rolled her eyes, avoiding his gaze. Just as she was biting her lip in anxiety—
“Is this it?”
Secretary Park pulled out a gun from among the clothes. The helper let out a shrill cry and stepped back.
* * *
The second-floor study.
Dressed in a suit, Han Seung-jae looked down at the gun and the grey pouch containing ammunition placed on the desk.
“There’s a strange object in my house.”
His cold eyes moved sharply. After confirming that the gun in front of him was unloaded, he shifted his gaze to the pouch.
He slid the pouch containing three rounds of ammunition between his long fingers, shaking it as he watched Min Ra-hyeon, as if telling him to speak.
Min Ra-hyeon, who had been standing before the desk the whole time, opened his mouth with a reluctant expression.
“I carry that for self-defense. There are too many people who pester me just because I’m an Omega. Ask Yi-kyung. Yi-kyung will know what I mean.”
Han Seung-jae looked at Butler Do, who was standing beside him.
“You didn’t even know something like this existed?”
Han Seung-jae had received a brief report from Secretary Park about the morning’s events. That the helpers had discovered it while cleaning and had been worried because they didn’t know if it was real or fake. Because of that, Secretary Park had no choice but to verify. After all, they weren’t the only ones in the house; Seo Yi-kyung was staying here as well. But had Butler Do truly been unaware of this fact?
“Ah, I was aware.”
“You were aware?”
Han Seung-jae’s voice was quite ominous.
“And yet, you didn’t report it, nor did you dispose of it.”
Butler Do’s lips trembled with an anxious face. Han Seung-jae’s aura was unsettling. Just then, the sound of shuffling slippers approached.
“You should be angry with me.”
Han Seung-jae’s gaze shifted over Butler Do’s shoulder. Seo Yi-kyung was standing there. He was wearing a cardigan over his pajamas. Perhaps he had rushed out due to the commotion, as the belt was untied and dangling on both sides.
Han Seung-jae had dressed in his suit, entered the bedroom to see Seo Yi-kyung sleeping, and then come out. This commotion had been caused by Secretary Park coming up to the second floor. It seemed that had woken Seo Yi-kyung up.
Han Seung-jae, who had been sitting at the desk, slowly stood up. Min Ra-hyeon and Butler Do looked at Seo Yi-kyung behind them. As if positioning himself between the two, Seo Yi-kyung spoke to Han Seung-jae.
“He told me it was for self-defense, too. Since the gun was empty, I thought that was the case. That’s why I didn’t tell Seung-jae.”
It wasn’t a lie. Min Ra-hyeon had indeed let him see with his own eyes that the gun wasn’t loaded. Seo Yi-kyung had felt the heavy weight of the metal in his palm, but at the time, his only thought was to return it. He hadn’t expected the fallout to hit Butler Do.
If things continued like this, Han Seung-jae would surely kick Butler Do out of the house. If that happened, there would truly be no one left to stay by Seo Yi-kyung’s side. He wanted to prevent that at all costs.
“If you’re going to be angry, be angry with me.”
Seo Yi-kyung wasn’t saying this for Min Ra-hyeon’s sake, but to protect Butler Do.
Han Seung-jae flicked the pouch in his hand. The sound of metal clinking echoed.
“I’ll return this when you leave.”
“Fine. I don’t care.”
Min Ra-hyeon readily accepted Han Seung-jae’s words. He might have accepted it even if Han Seung-jae had said he wouldn’t return it.
“Everyone, please leave.”
“Let’s go, Yi-kyung.”
Min Ra-hyeon pushed Seo Yi-kyung’s back. Han Seung-jae lowered the pouch he was holding and called out to stop him.
“Seo Yi-kyung.”
As Seo Yi-kyung stopped and turned his head, Min Ra-hyeon looked in the same direction and murmured as if speaking for him.
“Yi-kyung looks like he’s about to collapse. He must have been very surprised. I’ll take him back to his room.”
However, Han Seung-jae ignored Min Ra-hyeon and called Seo Yi-kyung again.
“Come here.”
As Seo Yi-kyung remained standing still, Secretary Park finally stepped in. After ushering Min Ra-hyeon and Butler Do out of the study, he followed them out and firmly closed the door.
“…….”
When Min Ra-hyeon showed no sign of moving from in front of the study door, Secretary Park spoke to him.
“You must not enter this study.”
It was as if he were reminding him of a clear fact. Butler Do couldn’t speak because he was considering the listener’s feelings, but Secretary Park was different.
“Director Han does not like to be disturbed, so you should be careful.”
Except for Han Seung-jae, Secretary Park had no hesitation in saying anything to anyone else.
The Han Seung-jae he had served for a long time was cold and callous, and it was extremely difficult to change a decision Han Seung-jae had made.
Hadn’t he already proven this simply by watching one person with such obsession? He was tenacious, persistent, and sometimes even cruel.
* * *
Han Seung-jae put the pouch and the gun into a drawer and closed it. Seo Yi-kyung watched this blankly. It was a decorative drawer located close to the desk. There were so many drawers in this room that he hadn’t thought to open that one at the time. Did the ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ in the original work take the gun from there?
Han Seung-jae slowly turned around and walked toward Seo Yi-kyung, who was standing stubbornly. He observed Seo Yi-kyung’s pale complexion and perched himself on the edge of the desk. He knew that if he approached any closer, Seo Yi-kyung would run away.
“Come here,” Han Seung-jae repeated. “Are you just going to stay like that?”
“…….”
A heavy silence hung between the two. As if to break the silence, Han Seung-jae spoke.
“If I go to you, it won’t end with just a kiss.”
Seo Yi-kyung, who had been on edge until a moment ago, was now stuck. If he approached Han Seung-jae, wouldn’t that mean he was consenting to a kiss? But if he stayed where he was, it wouldn’t end with just a kiss.
Seo Yi-kyung didn’t know what to do. Then, Han Seung-jae reached out his long arm and snatched Seo Yi-kyung’s wrist. Unable to offer any real resistance, Seo Yi-kyung’s legs gave way, and he was pulled into Han Seung-jae’s embrace. Shadows formed against the dark suit.
Sitting on the desk, Han Seung-jae’s eye level was slightly higher than Seo Yi-kyung’s. Seo Yi-kyung looked into Han Seung-jae’s deep eyes, which had suddenly become so close. A sharp, honed gaze; his nose tilted slightly. Han Seung-jae peered into Seo Yi-kyung’s face and tightened his arm around the slender back, pulling him closer.
As Seo Yi-kyung’s mouth opened in surprise, Han Seung-jae’s cold lips met his.