By Zephyria 
“Haa. Haa……”
Jin Seon-yu struggled to catch his breath. He gazed at Jin Seok-young, who was visible beyond the car as it smoothly reversed.
Jin Seok-young hammered on the hood violently.
“Stop the car. I said stop!”
Despite this, the car did not stop; it backed up as far as it could and then whipped around. The rearview mirror captured the image of a furious Jin Seok-young. Beside him stood the driver who had brought Seo Yi-kyung, looking utterly bewildered.
“Phew—I’m telling you, Hyung is always the problem.”
Jin Seon-yu adjusted his crooked sunglasses. This wasn’t the first or second time something like this had happened. Growing up, it was a daily occurrence for Jin Seon-yu to be interfered with by his two Alpha brothers, and Jin Seok-young, in particular, would always barge in recklessly and ruin everything.
That was why he was drawn to the softer and kinder Ham Gyu-ho. More than anything, he had fallen in love at first sight. To think that the person he fell for instantly was his fiancé—it must be a fated inevitability.
But for a breakup to happen this easily made no sense. He had believed without a shadow of a doubt that they would spend their lives together……
Thinking up to that point, he had grabbed Seo Yi-kyung and begged him to help him get out of this house. He wanted to meet Ham Gyu-ho in person to ask and confirm for himself.
He had gone into the bathroom to wash up, then stripped off the shirt and pants he was wearing and changed his clothes. Blood seeped from his toes, but he acted as if he felt no pain. The last thing Jin Seon-yu grabbed as he paced frantically around the room was his sunglasses.
After that, Seo Yi-kyung had gone down first to survey the situation. The signal was for him to open the door once he confirmed who was coming and going.
And the result was the current situation.
“Kwon Gwi-jun? Why are you here?”
At Jin Seon-yu’s shout as he belatedly turned his head to see Kwon Gwi-jun, Seo Yi-kyung raised his hand to cover his ears. Hearing it right next to him made his ears ring.
In contrast, Kwon Gwi-jun’s voice was very calm.
“I went through the trouble of helping you escape.”
Jin Seon-yu reached out and pointed ahead.
“I was just too desperate. I get it, so just stop the car up there. I’ll go in Yi-kyung’s car.”
He didn’t look back, but there was a high probability that they were chasing them. And Jin Seok-young, too.
“You have no idea what would happen to me if I got caught by your brother, do you?”
“…….”
“…….”
It was obvious that Jin Seok-young would unconditionally grab Kwon Gwi-jun by the collar, drag him out of the car, and start swinging his fists. Jin Seon-yu moved slowly and pressed close to Seo Yi-kyung’s side.
Seo Yi-kyung lowered the hand that had been touching his ear. It wasn’t particularly cramped for three people to sit, but the vibrating awkwardness made the inside of the car feel full.
The driver skillfully shook off the pursuing Jin Seok-young. The secretary sitting in the passenger seat was preoccupied with a phone call, perhaps postponing an appointment.
After cruising the roads for a while, the car turned through a bustling district and stopped in front of the Lael Hotel.
As he stepped out of the car, Jin Seon-yu flinched. This was because pain belatedly surged from his toes. He struggled to stand firm.
“Why are we coming here?”
Kwon Gwi-jun, who had been exchanging words with the secretary, replied.
“You’re going to meet Gyu-ho, aren’t you?”
“What? Gyu-ho is here?”
“I told them to find Gyu-ho. If he’s here, we’ll get a contact.”
Seo Yi-kyung looked around. The driving skill of the driver who had shaken off Jin Seok-young was impeccably excellent. However, the driver who had accompanied him was nowhere to be seen.
Jin Seon-yu, speaking with a sharp cadence as if pushing away the pain, stopped mid-stride and turned back.
“Yi-kyung, I don’t want to be alone with him.”
He led Seo Yi-kyung and entered the Lael Hotel. The three of them took the elevator to the upper floors. The footsteps of people coming and going were sparse.
After taking a seat at a cafe, Jin Seon-yu gulped down a drink.
“They still haven’t found him?”
“They’ll contact us once they find him.”
“Isn’t Gyu-ho working at his company?”
“Probably not.”
While half-listening to the conversation between the two, Seo Yi-kyung fiddled with his phone screen under the table. Come to think of it, he had come to visit Jin Seon-yu without saying a word to Han Seung-jae. At the time, he did so knowing that the driver would convey the message even if he didn’t. Moreover, he had intended to return quickly after just seeing his face.
But now, the situation had changed significantly.
‘It would be best to let him know.’
If he were caught lying, he wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath. It might be better to just tell the truth as it is. Although he wasn’t saying it face-to-face, a phone call felt burdensome. So, without needing to be nervous, he decided to just leave a single message.
Seo Yi-kyung unlocked the device with his fingerprint and placed his finger on the screen.
He wrote that he had come to visit Jin Seon-yu, and then added Jin Seok-young’s name and Kwon Gwi-jun’s name. Adding the series of events made it seem too long-winded. So, Seo Yi-kyung deleted the latter part.
Han Seung-jae likely already knew that he had gone to see Jin Seon-yu. Still, he wrote the message as if he didn’t know.
Vrrr—Just then, the vibration of the phone broke the silence. Kwon Gwi-jun answered a call from the secretary. “Where?” At that alone, Jin Seon-yu leaned his upper body forward.
“Why?”
Jin Seon-yu mouthed. Having finished the call, Kwon Gwi-jun slowly crossed his legs.
Jin Seon-yu looked up at him and asked.
“Where is he?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
Kwon Gwi-jun, walking ahead, seemed to have no intention of providing further explanation. As if resigning, Jin Seon-yu looked at Seo Yi-kyung, who was fiddling with his phone.
“Yi-kyung.”
“Huh?”
As Seo Yi-kyung looked up, he accidentally pressed the send button. He slowly looked down, a look of utter dismay on his face.
[Seon-yu said he’s sick, so I came to visit him for a bit. G…]
He had been choosing the words to say that he was going to meet Ham Gyu-ho. He had added and removed the mention of the breakup. It seemed unnecessary to say such things. Furthermore, he had been hesitating over whether to put Kwon Gwi-jun’s name in front.
Seo Yi-kyung gripped his phone and stepped forward, following Jin Seon-yu.
I can just send the rest from the car.
However, as he ended up sitting squarely between Kwon Gwi-jun and Jin Seon-yu, it wasn’t easy for Seo Yi-kyung to send the message.
Jin Seon-yu, sitting to Seo Yi-kyung’s right, pushed up his sliding sunglasses with his finger.
“Where is Gyu-ho?”
Kwon Gwi-jun’s calm voice came from Seo Yi-kyung’s left.
“He’s drinking with friends.”
“Drinking? How many friends?”
Jin Seon-yu’s voice, which had intended to confirm the matter of the breakup upon meeting Ham Gyu-ho, grew smaller.
He wondered if he could say such things in front of friends, but there was no other way. He had only managed to get out today thanks to the help of Seo Yi-kyung and Kwon Gwi-jun. Such luck would not be repeated. Therefore, he absolutely had to get a definitive answer from Ham Gyu-ho today.
“…….”
Blinking his eyelids, Seo Yi-kyung stared straight ahead. The surrounding environment, which had turned dim, came into view. Then he looked down at his phone, which had gone black. Maybe he should have just called.
“Is it here?”
Getting out of the car, Jin Seon-yu adjusted his sunglasses. Because his eyes were swollen, he had no intention of taking them off.
Seo Yi-kyung looked up at the building, which was piled up like a giant castle. A neon sign boasting a brilliant glow flashed in the center.
Seo Yi-kyung repeated to himself.
‘Alpha Club?’
This wasn’t something he had seen even in the original work.
There were guards standing in front of the building, but as Kwon Gwi-jun began to walk forward, no one stopped them. Rather, they bowed politely and spoke courteously, telling them they could go inside. Jin Seon-yu and Seo Yi-kyung followed behind him.
Soon, the rough voices of guards were heard.
“Get lost! Why is a Beta hanging around here?”
When Seo Yi-kyung looked back, people who had tried to enter out of curiosity were being violently pushed away and kicked out by the guards.
‘What on earth is this place?’
Seo Yi-kyung rolled his eyes inquisitively.
As soon as they entered, a completely different landscape unfolded, as if cut off from the outside. An artificial waterfall was situated inside. Countless people moved about beside it.
Waiters weaving through them carried various types of alcohol in their hands. Whether it was champagne, whiskey, or wine, they gladly provided alcohol and pleasure to the surging crowds.
Suddenly, Seo Yi-kyung brought the back of his hand to the tip of his nose. The first thing he felt was an eerie sensation that made the back of his neck prickle. It was a feeling of disgust. Unmanaged pheromones were tangled together in the vast hall.
Seo Yi-kyung tried to breathe in slowly. Perhaps because of the scent that grew stronger the more he walked among the people, he felt nauseous and developed a headache.
Kwon Gwi-jun, walking ahead, was composed and undisturbed. This was because he already knew very well what kind of place this was.
He walked deep inside, as if cutting through the crowd. Occasionally, there were Omegas who spoke to him, but he ignored them completely and simply continued on his way.
Jin Seon-yu, who was walking, flinched. Among the long row of doors, something like the sound of sobbing was heard from the one marked NO23.
“Someone is crying?”
However, Seo Yi-kyung grabbed Jin Seon-yu’s arm and didn’t look back in that direction.
“Come here.”
As an extreme dominant Omega, Seo Yi-kyung could quickly identify pheromones. Even though it wasn’t intentional, his body detected even the smallest amount of pheromones. From that place, the pheromones of Alphas wafted threateningly, as if they were in heat.
Belatedly, Jin Seon-yu covered his nose and mouth with his palm. Soon, unable to bear it, he gagged.
Kwon Gwi-jun looked back and pulled out a handkerchief, offering it. Jin Seon-yu took it quickly. He was in no position to refuse. This was because Alpha pheromones were leaking from every room, regardless of which one it was.
Kwon Gwi-jun stood before a firmly closed door. NO27. The number embedded in the door glistened due to the light pouring from the ceiling.
“It’s here.”
“Gyu-ho is here?”
Jin Seon-yu’s pronunciation was muffled by the handkerchief.
“Yes. See for yourself.”
With a determined look in his eyes, Kwon Gwi-jun gestured with his head. Seo Yi-kyung withdrew the hand that had been holding Jin Seon-yu.
Covering his nose and mouth with the handkerchief, Jin Seon-yu slowly reached out his arm. Then, he grabbed the doorknob, which reflected his nervous appearance perfectly.