By Zephyria 
“Cough, cough…”
The crushing weight that had been pressing down on him vanished in an instant, and Seo Yi-kyung let out a stifled breath. In doing so, blood flowed out and stained his lips.
Han Seung-jae grabbed the screaming man’s head and slammed it down onto the table with a thud. The man scratched frantically at the table with his fingers.
With indifferent eyes, Han Seung-jae glanced at Seo Yi-kyung, who was pushing himself up, and picked up a hammer used for breaking ice. He seemed to swing it lightly, yet the table Seo Yi-kyung was perched on vibrated violently.
“Aaaagh!”
As he smashed the man’s hand with the hammer, Han Seung-jae murmured in a low voice.
“Stay still.”
“Aaaaaagh!”
The man, whose index finger had been crushed, struggled desperately to lift his forehead off the table. However, he could not escape the grip of Han Seung-jae’s hand pressing down from behind.
“Can’t you hear me? Then maybe this will make it clear.”
Han Seung-jae jerked the man’s head to the side. He readjusted his grip on the hammer and struck down with all his might. The man, who had quickly hidden his fingers beneath the table, spoke while trembling.
“Why, why, why are you doing this to me?”
Han Seung-jae’s face looked as though he didn’t feel the man was even worth answering. With a cold gaze, he swung the hammer and slammed it down right in front of the man’s eyes.
The moment the man squeezed his eyes shut, blood sprayed from his crushed nose. Because of this, blood splattered onto Han Seung-jae’s dark suit, leaving stains. Buried in the blood flowing down his own face, the man shrieked for mercy. Despite this, Han Seung-jae did not stop.
“Put your hand up. Next is the eye.”
“P-p-please save me.”
The bleeding man struggled to break free. The table was drenched in the blood he had shed. Han Seung-jae raised the hammer.
“Cough.”
Seo Yi-kyung fully pushed himself up from the table. However, his limp legs gave way, and he slumped to the floor. A scream echoed beside him.
“Gaaah!”
Still not fully conscious, Seo Yi-kyung rubbed his neck, which had been gripped moments ago. His white skin was exposed through the gap in his shirt, where buttons had been ripped off. However, because he was gasping for breath in ragged intervals, he was in no condition to compose himself.
While Seo Yi-kyung merely blinked, Secretary Park entered the room and approached. The manager was with him.
After assessing the situation, Secretary Park turned to the manager and spoke.
“I will buy all the liquor and Omegas here today. I will also compensate for everything that has been broken.”
“Including all the Omegas?”
The manager turned and walked out. He closed the door firmly and shouted to the people who had gathered after hearing the commotion, announcing that business for the day had ended.
Secretary Park let out a long sigh and turned back. He looked over Seo Yi-kyung, who was sitting on the floor and seemed unable to regain his senses. Beside him, Han Seung-jae was already crushing all the fingers of the unconscious man.
Secretary Park took off his jacket and draped it over Seo Yi-kyung’s shoulders.
Only then did Seo Yi-kyung’s vision seem to clear; he looked down and gripped the suit as if to hide his wide-open shirt.
As Han Seung-jae straightened his upper body and swung the hammer, blood grazed the table and flew onto the face of an Omega lying on the sofa. The man who had been holding that Omega’s head hurriedly withdrew his hand.
“I-I didn’t hit them. He brought them in on his own. It has nothing to do with me.”
Meanwhile, the Omega on the sofa hurriedly stood up and bolted out as if escaping. The man, who didn’t dare follow, became increasingly polite.
“W-we met here for the first time today. Truly.”
However, there was no expression on Han Seung-jae’s face as he watched him. Blood from the previous incident was splattered across his chin.
“I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”
Han Seung-jae flicked the hammer he was holding and pointed to the table, signaling the man to place his hand on it. At that, the man trembled and hid his hands behind his back.
Han Seung-jae reached out his large hand, grabbed the man by the crown of his head, and slammed the back of his head into the wall. Just as he was about to strike with the hammer—
“Seung-jae.”
Seo Yi-kyung called out softly, as if only now noticing him.
Han Seung-jae slowly turned his head and stared at Seo Yi-kyung, who was still sitting on the floor. His pale cheeks were mottled with red. The Adam’s apple he was rubbing bore the mark of a hand. Furthermore, the lips calling his name were stained with blood, perhaps from a tear.
Han Seung-jae released his grip on the man’s head. The man’s body slumped onto the sofa, having either fainted or been knocked out by the impact with the wall.
Han Seung-jae tossed the hammer carelessly onto the table and turned his body fully.
Facing Han Seung-jae’s frigid expression, Seo Yi-kyung shrank his shoulders.
Han Seung-jae’s upper body slowly bent as he stared intently at Seo Yi-kyung’s wretched appearance. Looking closer, there was a small wound on his cheekbone. Blood was seeping out, likely from being scratched by shards of a broken liquor bottle.
Han Seung-jae’s cold eyes took in Seo Yi-kyung’s face entirely.
“This is why you should just go to the art supply store. What are you doing here?”
“…Cough.”
Seo Yi-kyung tried to open his mouth, but he kept breaking into short coughs. He leaned on the table to push himself up, but his hand slipped because of the abundance of blood, unable to gain traction.
Tsk. Han Seung-jae clicked his tongue lowly and unbuttoned his suit with blood-stained fingers. He took off his jacket, snatched the jacket Seo Yi-kyung was wearing, and returned it to Secretary Park.
As Han Seung-jae covered him with the suit—which draped far down even over Seo Yi-kyung’s thin shoulders—his gaze landed on the skin exposed by the ripped buttons. Immediately, Seo Yi-kyung clutched the suit jacket, disappearing from view.
“Can you stand up?”
“Yes. Cough.”
Seo Yi-kyung pressed his blood-stained palm against the floor. Was he in shock because he had been suddenly dragged inside? Or was he shocked because his mouth had burst after being slapped in the face while resisting? Was he shocked by the act of stabbing someone’s shoulder with a fork? Or was he shocked by the sight of the man in front of him smashing a person’s hand with a hammer as if mincing meat?
Polished shoes shifted slightly. Looking somewhat half-dazed, Seo Yi-kyung remained as he was, still pressing his hand against the floor. Wondering if he intended to get up or was currently in the process of doing so, Han Seung-jae asked.
“Do you need help?”
“N-no.”
Seo Yi-kyung forced strength into his buckling legs and struggled to stand up, pushing off the floor.
Secretary Park went outside to assess the situation. After surveying the surroundings, which had become quieter than before, Secretary Park returned after speaking with the manager. Because the business had ended after buying all the liquor and Omegas, people who were being pushed out were protesting.
“It seems there was a small clash at the entrance. I have prepared a space in the next room.”
At Secretary Park’s words, delivered after efficiently handling the situation, Han Seung-jae stepped forward. Following him, Seo Yi-kyung walked out, glancing down at his blood-stained fingers.
Han Seung-jae entered Room NO22 first. As Seo Yi-kyung followed him in, Secretary Park carefully closed the door.
Han Seung-jae picked up a bottle of mineral water from the table. He twisted open the cap and drank the water.
He had received a report that Seo Yi-kyung had left the house in the morning. Shortly after, he heard something absurd from the driver: that Seo Yi-kyung had vanished in another car right before his eyes.
Han Seung-jae immediately tracked Seo Yi-kyung’s movements. It didn’t take much time. After all, the driver wasn’t the only person he had attached to Seo Yi-kyung. Still, since right and wrong had to be settled, the driver had been dealt with.
“…”
Step. He watched Seo Yi-kyung walk toward him. His face, which was a stark contrast to how he looked in the morning, was clearly exhausted. Wasn’t he originally frail? Perhaps he was barely holding onto a consciousness that felt as though it might black out.
Han Seung-jae reached out, grabbed Seo Yi-kyung’s arm, and perched him on the table. He tilted the water bottle and poured it over Seo Yi-kyung’s blood-stained hand. The water flowed down his fingers and spilled below.
“Did you even know where you were coming to?”
Instead of speaking, Seo Yi-kyung shook his head. He felt that if he opened his mouth, he would start coughing. Meanwhile, he recalled the sign he had seen at the entrance: ‘Alpha Club.’ At a glance, it seemed like just a place to enjoy drinks and entertainment.
Han Seung-jae opened another bottle of water and poured it. While doing so, he rubbed Seo Yi-kyung’s palm with his thumb to wipe away the stains.
“It’s a place where Alphas come to resolve their ruts.”
A rut was an Alpha’s heat period. A place where beastly desires could be vented. Consequently, it was acceptable to treat Omegas roughly. Depending on sexual preferences, some enjoyed themselves with multiple Omegas, some beat them, some tied them up, and others dragged them around to mock them. Even then, no one stopped them.
Only then did Seo Yi-kyung remember the guards at the entrance blocking Betas from entering. This was a space created solely for Alphas.
“You come to a place even I’ve never been to, alone, and this is what happens to you.”
Looking at his hand, Seo Yi-kyung lifted his gaze. His eyes locked with Han Seung-jae’s in mid-air.
It was natural that he hadn’t seen this in the original story. ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ spent most of his time in the painting studio, and Han Seung-jae, who did go out, never visited places like this.