Chapter Text
The Grand Ballroom of the Daegu hotel was a sprawling, suffocating maze of high-society opulence, but for Choi Seungcheol, the entire world had already dissolved into a hazy, chaotic blur. He was already high in drinks, the expensive whiskey burning a fierce trail down his throat as he stood near the edge of the crowd. He was not entirely aware of himself, his movements heavy and uncoordinated, his mind floating in a dangerous state of semi-intoxication. But suddenly, through the thick, alcohol-induced fog clouding his brain, his alpha senses suffered a sharp, violent shock.
He sensed the smell. A distinct, intoxicating cherry aroma—the exact scent that had once allured his entire house back in Seoul. It was his own smell, the familiar, comforting trace of his family bloodline mixed with the sweet essence of the omega he had missed so terribly for the past month. The scent was floating right here in the middle of the ballroom air.
Seungcheol’s dark eyes narrowed behind his ornate mask as he forced his hazy vision to trace exactly where the smell was coming from. And then, his gaze locked onto the source.
It was a trembling omega in a crisp white suit, his flower-decorated mask catching the glint of the chandeliers. But what made the alcohol-fueled anger peak violently inside Seungcheol's veins was the sight right next to the omega. A man in a sharp black suit—his partner—was casually keeping his hand resting firmly behind the omega's back. That protective gesture itself made a wave of toxic, possessive fury erupt in Seungcheol's chest. His primitive inner thoughts kept on telling him to approach them immediately, to march across the floor, see the omega up close, take him away from that stranger, and claim him right there in front of the entire world.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of the predatory eyes locked onto them, Jisoo kept on asking a trembling Jeonghan, his voice full of immediate, hushed anxiety. "Hanie? What's up? Talk to me, your hands are completely freezing."
Jeonghan was not replying. His lips were tightly pressed together, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. The thick, heavy coffee pheromones of his alpha—the biological father of the baby—were completely suffocating his senses. Jeonghan knew with absolute certainty that he should not be here for another second. If he stayed, the consequences would be catastrophic.
When he finally forced his head to turn, he saw Jisoo looking down at him with immense worry. Standing right beside them, the wealthy high-society investor whom Jisoo had been actively pitching the daycare project to was also deeply concerned, tilting his head behind his mask. "Are you okay, Yoon Jeonghan-ssi? You look incredibly pale."
Jeonghan’s mind raced through the panic. He knew that Jisoo was here in Daegu purely for business, trying to secure the future of the daycare. He had already brought so much of a heavy burden into Jisoo’s life; he could not and should not spoil this critical funding opportunity because of his own past trauma.
Forcing a tight, artificial smile across his lips, Jeonghan swallowed his fear. "No... no, I'm completely alright. I just... I just need to use the bathroom for a quick moment."
Jisoo’s brow furrowed behind his black mask, his arm tightening around his waist. "Okay. Come on, I will take you there myself."
"No need, Jisoo," Jeonghan insisted quickly, gently pulling away from the protective hold. "I'm not a child, I can go by alone. Or if I feel dizzy, I can easily call Hao or Seungkwan to tag along with me from the hall. You continue your conversation. I will be back in some time."
It was incredibly hard for Jisoo to nod his head, his protective instincts screaming at him to follow the distressed omega. But before his nodding could even finish or any more words could leave the Beta's mouth, Jeonghan turned around and rushed toward the wide hallway, escaping the heavy suffocating perimeter of the business circle.
As he stumbled out toward the grand corridor, his eyes frantically scanned the ballroom to find his friends. He saw Hao and Seungkwan were already completely high in the buffet and bar section, their plates piled high with expensive finger foods. Hansol was standing right there alongside them, looking completely exhausted as he tried to keep both of the hyperactive omegas in check and hold them back from causing a scene. Further down the hall, Jihoon and Hoshi were standing side by side, deep in conversation with another wealthy business person, with Jun smoothly chiming in from behind his onyx mask to pitch their co-branded projects. Chan, true to his word, was nowhere to be found, likely hidden away in the luxury lounge enjoying his retirement-style vacation.
The moment Jeonghan stepped deeper into the open corridor, the air shifted dramatically. He could able to smell the pheromones of coffee highly. It was an intense, crushing, and raw wave of his alpha’s trait.
Jeonghan literally wanted to cry right now. The cruel reality of his biology was a torturous nightmare; his pregnant body desperately wanted to follow the scent, begging him to get closer to the father to stabilize the fetus, but his rational mind knew the horrific, shameful consequences of what would happen if he ever let that monster touch him again.
Overwhelmed by the internal warfare, Jeonghan sharply turned his body in the opposite direction to run—and stopped dead in his tracks.
Standing in the middle of the crowd at a distance far across the floor, was the man where the scent was highly coming from. He was dressed in a striking, dangerous dark red suit. Even with the heavy, ornate masquerade mask completely covering his facial features, Jeonghan could identify him in a single fraction of a second. He didn't need to see his face. He knew the eyes. He knew the exact, intense shape of the eyes belonging to his childhood crush, his first love, and the man who had eventually become his living nightmare.
Across the glittering, crowded ballroom, their eyes were locked.
Seungcheol took one step forward, his heavy, alcohol-laden stride shaking his frame. Across the distance, Jeonghan instinctively took one sharp step back. Seungcheol’s brow furrowed tightly behind his ornate mask; his unhinged alpha mind couldn't process why his omega was actively backing away from him. He was completely not in his right mind at all, the whiskey making his possessive thoughts erratic. Again, Seungcheol took another aggressive step forward, but this time, Jeonghan didn't wait. He turned on his heel and tried to walk incredibly fast down the grand hallway, desperate to reach the private elevators to go back to his hotel room. Nowhere in this glittering ballroom would ever be safe.
As his boots clattered frantically against the polished marble floor, Jeonghan’s heart hammered violently against his ribs. He could sense it on pure instinct—someone was ruthlessly following him, the heavy coffee scent catching up behind him like a physical hand.
When he finally reached the elevator bank and scrambled into an open space, his breath was completely abnormal, his hands trembling so violently he could barely aim his fingers. He punched the button, keeping on pressing the close-door button over and over again in a flash of pure panic. Please, shut. Please, close. Finally, at the very last second, just as the heavy metal doors were about to close fully, a large hand shot through the narrow gap. Seungcheol raised his arm, triggering the safety sensor, and forcefully forced the elevator doors open again.
Jeonghan backed into the furthest corner of the cabin, his spine hitting the mirrored wall as Seungcheol stepped inside.
But when the Alpha looked at him, his eyes behind the mask were surprisingly calm. There was no trace of his usual violent anger or terrifying danger. Instead, the expression was entirely hollow, a completely missed, pleading one that looked utterly desperate. Seeing that unexpected vulnerability in his first love's eyes, a hot wave of fresh tears started to flow down Jeonghan's cheeks, soaking his flower-decorated mask.
Seungcheol kept on coming closer, leaving absolutely no space between them until he locked the trembling omega securely against the wall with his large hands pinned on either side of Jeonghan's head. Jeonghan lowered his head completely, his chest heaving, too shocked and terrified to even breathe.
"Hey," Seungcheol’s deep, gravelly voice vibrated through the quiet elevator cabin, sounding heavy and raspy from the drinks. "Why the hell are you running and hiding from me like this?"
Before Jeonghan could answer, Seungcheol’s fingers twitched. Driven by a sudden, he reached down and shifted Jeonghan's crisp white dress collar a little bit to see if there were any permanent alpha bite marks hidden on his skin.
Jeonghan got intensely frightened by the sudden touch. A wave of pure panic crashed through his body; he began violently slapping Seungcheol's hands away, his legs losing all their strength as he ended up squatting down flat onto the elevator floor, covering his head.
"Hey... calm down, omega," Seungcheol murmured, his tone slurring slightly as he squatted down to the exact same level, looming over the weeping boy. He tilted his head, leaning in closer until he sniffed Jeonghan's neck aggressively.
Instantly, Seungcheol's pupils became incredibly large, the dark circles widening in pure biological shock. The smell. It wasn't just sweet cherries anymore. Tucked deep beneath the fruit base was a rich, heavy layer of his very own coffee smell, completely mixed with the cherry pheromones to stabilize the early pregnancy. Seungcheol didn't understand the science of the three-week fetus, but his inner alpha greedily recognized its own biological signature.
A dark, dangerous smirk slowly took over Seungcheol's lips. "I like your scent... it literally just dragged me across the entire room. You know, I didn't come to this city to have fun with any random omega or beta... but you... you just completely drugged me with your scent, huh?"
Before Jeonghan could pull away, Seungcheol put his two fingers firmly under Jeonghan’s chin, forcing his face upward to get some direct eye contact. When Seungcheol saw those beautiful, tear-stained eyes closely up front, the alcohol completely took over his restraint. He leaned closer and closer, his lips just inches away from Jeonghan’s mouth.
"I missed you," Seungcheol whispered, his hot breath smelling heavily of whiskey against Jeonghan's skin. "Don't you ever run away from me again."
The near-touch acted like a violent jolt of electricity, and Jeonghan’s rational mind came completely back to life. The absolute terror of being trapped by his abuser shattered his paralysis. With a sudden, explosive burst of adrenaline, he used both of his palms to forcefully push Seungcheol down onto the carpeted floor.
He lunged forward, hit the emergency door-open switch, and scrambled right back out to the open hallway before Seungcheol could even gather his bearings.
He could hear the heavy, uncoordinated footsteps of the Alpha scrambling to get up behind him. Knowing that the slow, public elevators would just trap him all over again, Jeonghan turned a sharp corner, pushed through a heavy fire door, and took the concrete staircase instead. It was four full floors to go down to reach the ground levels. He sprinted down the steps, his legs shaking violently, his white suit jacket fluttering as he flew down the landing.
As his boots struck the third floor, his frantic mind suddenly got a brilliant, survival-driven idea. He shouldn't head out to the main lobby, Seungcheol would easily track him there or ambush him at the doors.
Instead, he pushed through the lower basement door and gone directly to the massive basement parking lot. Out here in the shadows, Seungcheol’s alcohol-addled brain would never be able to find him, and at the same time, it offered the perfect, unhindered escape route to get away from the building completely.
Jeonghan burst through the heavy fire doors of the basement parking lot, his breath coming in ragged, suffocating gasps. It was a vast, dimly lit labyrinth of concrete pillars and parked luxury cars. The cool, damp air of the concrete labyrinth hit his face, but it could not wash away the burning flush of intense shame torturing his mind.
He felt physically sick. What had happened in that elevator was an absolute nightmare. He had been so close—just a fraction of an inch away—from letting Seungcheol kiss him all over again. The realization was a devastating blow to his pride. After everything that monster did to me in Seoul, Jeonghan thought, tears blurring his vision as he stumbled past the massive concrete pillars, after the bruises, the isolation, and the abuse... how the hell is my body still frantically craving his presence? It is not at all fair. His pregnancy-driven omega instincts were a treacherous enemy, overriding his rational mind simply because his biology demanded the father's coffee scent to feel stable.
Lost in the dark fog of his self-loathing, Jeonghan didn't notice the faint clinking of glass bottles or the heavy, uncoordinated footsteps echoing further down the parking row.
Suddenly, a group of four alphas emerged from behind a large luxury SUV. They were heavily in drinks, their eyes bloodshot and their minds completely blurred by alcohol as they rowdily walked back to their vehicle. The moment their gaze caught the trembling, isolated figure of a beautiful omega in a crisp white suit, a very bad idea instantly sparked in their minds.
Jeonghan was not at all aware that the group was actively approaching him until it was far too late.
Grab.
A thick, aggressive hand locked onto his upper arm with a bruising force. Jeonghan shivered violently, spinning his head back in pure terror. Before he could even scramble backward, another alpha stepped into his personal space, his fingers roughly reaching down to pop open the top button of Jeonghan's dress shirt collar to check for a mating mark.
"Look at this," the second alpha chuckled, his voice slurring heavily. "He is an unclaimed one."
"An omega..." the third alpha whispered, his nostrils flaring as he leaned in to sniff the air, his pupils widening. "Wait, I can smell two separate pheromones...He might be a pregnant omega."
The alpha who was holding Jeonghan’s arm let out a loud, mocking laugh, giving a sharp wink toward his friends. "Before even having a permanent partner, he is already pregnant? Then there will be absolutely no issue for him to sleep with us as well tonight, right? He's already used to it."
Jeonghan's throat tightened in absolute horror. He opened his mouth, a piercing scream ripping out of his chest. "No! Help me—!"
Before the sound could even echo across the concrete ceiling, a large, thick palm slammed flat over his mouth, brutally covering his voice."Shh... be quiet, omega," the first alpha threatened, pressing his face dangerously close. "Don't attract any other alphas down here. We don't want to share you with anyone else. What, is four not already enough for you?"
Hot, heavy tears started to flow hard down Jeonghan’s cheeks as he shook his head aggressively, his muffled cries dying against the man's palms. Two of the alphas gripped his wrists tightly, physically dragging his light frame forward toward a dark, hidden alcove between the concrete foundation walls where the security cameras couldn't reach.
Desperate for survival, Jeonghan gathered the last of his strength, opened his jaw wide, and bit down with absolute force directly into the fleshy meat of the hand covering his mouth.
"OUCH! You fucking bitch!" the alpha roared, flinching backward as blood welled from the bite mark.
Pure anger flushed through the man's features. Infuriated by the resistance, he reached out, grabbed a massive handful of Jeonghan's long hair, and yanked his head back violently until Jeonghan had to gasp from the sharp pain. "I was being gentle with you because you were pregnant, you little whore, but you are a bratty one! I guess I have to teach you your goddamn position!"
Jeonghan’s legs completely gave out, his hands trembling as he begged through his tears, his voice cracking with absolute, desperate terror. "Please... please let me go... please, I'm sorry... please don't do this..."
The fourth alpha just smirked, a sick, predatory gleam in his eyes as he stepped closer. "Baby, you look so incredibly pretty with those tears running down your face, and the way you keep on begging... it just makes me more hard."
Screeeeeech!
A violent, deafening roar of burning rubber shattered the dark parking lot as a luxury car came hurtling down the row at an impossible, high speed, its headlights blinding the group with a sudden glare. It was a mere fraction of a minute before hitting them entirely. At the very last second, the driver slammed on the brakes, the car spinning sideways into a screeching halt.
The physical impact of the sliding vehicle swiped the front two alphas who were leading the way, knocking them clean off their feet as they fell hard onto the hard concrete.
The remaining two back alphas stumbled back, shielding their eyes against the burning headlights as they shouted furiously at the dark windshield. "Hey! Watch out where the fuck you are driving! Do you want to die?!"
The door of the luxury car kicked open violently. Seungcheol stepped out of the vehicle into the dim light, his dark red suit looking like a visual suit of armor under the fluorescent bulbs. He didn't say a word. He just slammed the car door shut with a heavy kick of his leg, raised his large hands, and began slowly knuckling his fingers, the sharp cracking of his joints echoing like gunshots through the silence.
For Jeonghan, the sight was a complete, living nightmare. He had run down the stairs desperately wanting to escape from Seungcheol’s suffocating obsession, but instead, he had gotten caught by a group of four predators, and now... now Seungcheol was also right here in the exact same basement. A wave of paralyzing terror washed over his chest. Who the hell knows what he will do? Jeonghan thought, his body shaking violently as his mind spiraled into panic. What if he decides to join in with this team as well? What if he takes me back by force?
Terrified of both sides, Jeonghan tried to violently pull his wrists away from the alpha who was still holding him tightly.
The alpha holding his arm tightened his grip until the bones groaned, shouting down at the thrashing omega. "Stay the fuck still! Don't make it harder for yourself!"
But Jeonghan was completely not listening, his rational mind entirely gone to panic. He leaned in and again bit down heavily into the hand that was holding his wrist.
Anger completely flushed that alpha's face. "You fucking piece of shit!" he roared. Raising his opposite arm, he delivered a heavy, brutal slap straight across Jeonghan's cheek.
The sheer force of the blow made the parking lot spin. Jeonghan was already dizzy from the pregnancy and the exhaustion, and now, with his head throbbing violently from the slap, his legs lost all their strength. He fell straight to the floor, his body collapsing against the cold concrete as his white suit jacket caught the dirt.
The moment Jeonghan's body hit the floor, the alpha standing next to the attacker flinched, looking nervous. "Hey! He was pregnant, be calm! Don't hit him like that!"
"This bitch keeps on biting—"
BOOM.
The sentence was permanently cut short. Before the man could even lower his arm, Seungcheol closed the distance with a terrifying, supernatural alpha speed. His fist moved in a flawless, brutal cross-hook execution, striking the alpha squarely across his cheekbone with a heavy, sickening crunch. The immense force of the punch sent the man flying sideways, his body falling straight to the floor where he lay completely unconscious, blood pooling from his jaw.
Seungcheol’s voice dropped into a quiet, heavily vibrating bass that made the entire basement feel suffocatingly small. "How dare you... How the hell dare you hurt my omega?"
The remaining three alphas instantly got intensely scared, the alcohol-induced bravado completely draining from their systems as they backed away from the towering, red-suited monster. One of them raised his hands trembling, trying to desperately assure him. "Hey! Listen, man! He was unclaimed! We didn't know he belonged to anyone, we didn't do anything yet—"
Seungcheol didn't listen to a single word of the excuse. Driven by a pure, animalistic protective rage, he lunged forward, throwing his entire physical weight into a brutal, high-impact kick. His boot struck the speaking alpha directly in the chest, the sheer momentum fracturing the man's ribs with a loud snap as he crashed backward into a concrete pillar.
The third alpha tried to throw a desperate punch to defend himself, but Seungcheol’s reflexes were far too advanced. He smoothly ducked beneath the wild swing, shifted his footing, and delivered a heavy, shattering punch straight into the alpha's stomach. The blow completely emptied the man's lungs, making him drop to his knees, coughing violently and spitting up bile onto the floor.
Jeonghan lay paralyzed on the concrete, his vision beginning to blur as his head throbbed relentlessly from the slap. Through his half-closed eyelashes, he could keep on seeing bodies violently falling down on the floor, raising again in a desperate struggle, and immediately going down under the relentless, merciless precision of Seungcheol’s fists. The Alpha was fighting all four of them simultaneously, using absolute, lethal combat methods to destroy the men who had dared to touch his property.
The sight of the absolute, protective violence was too much for Jeonghan’s fragile condition to bear. As the sound of breaking bones and heavy thuds continued to echo through the basement, his eyes started to go black slowly. The darkness crept in from the edges of his vision, and within a fraction of a minute, his senses finally failed him completely, and he fell into total, silent unconsciousness on the cold parking lot floor.
-------------
The ringing silence of the concrete basement returned as the last of the four alphas collapsed limply onto the floor. Seungcheol stood over them, his knuckles bruised and stained with blood, his chest heaving under his dark red suit. Slowly, the thick, suffocating cloud of his predatory alpha rage began to recede, leaving behind a cold, stinging sobriety.
He turned his head sharply, his eyes locking onto the pale, unmoving figure sprawled on the concrete. The sight of Jeonghan looking so fragile, his white suit jacket marked by the dirt of the parking lot, sent a violent pang of panic straight into the center of Seungcheol’s chest.
He approached the omega with slow, deliberate steps, dropping down to squat beside him. For a fraction of a second, his large hand hovered over Jeonghan's face, trembling before he gently reached out, pushing a few stray, sweat-stuck strands of hair back behind the shell of his ear. Without a sound, Seungcheol slid one strong arm beneath Jeonghan’s knees and the other behind his back, lifting him effortlessly in a secure bridal carry. He walked over to his car, opened the door with a practiced kick, and carefully laid the unconscious omega across the wide expanse of the backseat before shifting the luxury vehicle into drive.
He drove up to the main hotel entrance, bypass-handling the ballroom completely. Using his platinum status, he checked into a secluded private executive suite on the upper levels, bypassing the front desk’s questions with a flash of his ID. Carrying Jeonghan up the secure elevator, he pushed the door to the room open, walking straight into the dim bedroom to lay the omega gently down onto the center of the plush mattress.
The moment Jeonghan’s head hit the pillows, the reality of the situation hit Seungcheol hard. He was still high on whiskey, his clothes smelling of sweat, blood, and the toxic pheromones of the men he had just destroyed. Needing to clear his mind completely, he turned on his heel, strode straight into the attached restroom, and stripped off his red suit, forcing himself beneath a steaming, hot bath to wash the alcohol and the violence away from his skin.
Twenty minutes later, wrapped in a clean hotel robe, Seungcheol stepped back into the quiet bedroom. He sat down heavily on the edge of the mattress, his dark eyes tracing the delicate lines of Jeonghan’s face.
A sudden, sharp memory from the elevator flashed through his mind—the way Jeonghan had looked at him, his lips trembling, completely terrified but entirely silent. He didn't speak to me a single time in that elevator, Seungcheol thought, his chest tightening with a bitter wave of insecurity. He was violently begging those four disgusting alphas down in the basement... but he never once spoke a word to me. He just ran. Does anything even change between us if he speaks or begs? Or am I just the absolute worst monster in his eyes?
As he leaned down closer, his nostrils flared slightly. Out here in the quiet room, devoid of the ballroom's loud perfumes, his alpha senses could finally sense the absolute truth of why that intoxicating cherry-coffee aroma was clinging so heavily to the omega.
Jeonghan was pregnant. He was carrying his own biological child, a life growing deep inside his womb.
Seungcheol had never liked the thought of kids. He had always viewed them as liabilities, a nuisance that didn't belong in his rigid, corporate world. But now, sensing his very own genetic marker, his own heavy coffee scent beautifully woven into the essence of his beloved omega, the realization didn't make it look right. It terrified him.
What the hell will Hanie do if the baby turns out exactly like me? Seungcheol thought, his fists clenching against the sheets as a wave of intense self-loathing washed over him. What if the child inherits my same toxic genes? What if they grow up to cause nothing but trouble, pain, and misery to this fragile omega, or to some other innocent beta? But as he stared down at Jeonghan's peaceful features, he shook his head, trying to rationalize the fear away. No. Jeonghan... his soul is a good one. He is pure kindness. His child will also be a good one, raised with love. They won't end up a broken, solitary monster like me.
A second, darker thought began to invade his mind as he analyzed the crisp, expensive white suit Jeonghan was wearing. Why the hell was he even in that luxury ballroom tonight? Who was that man standing with his hand behind his back? Is he some sort of rich billionaire? Is that why it was so incredibly easy for Jeonghan to send an envelope of one million won back to my house each month?
But Seungcheol sharply cut the thought down, his brow furrowing. He knew Jeonghan’s character inside out. They had grown up under the same roof. Jeonghan was absolutely not that type of person; he would never use another man’s wealth to settle his debts. He would have surely earned every single won of that money with his own two hands.
The train of thought dragged a heavy flood of past childhood memories back to the surface. Seungcheol remembered when Jeonghan was just a fragile ten-year-old boy, completely shattered after losing both of his parents in a horrific car accident. Just because Jeonghan’s father and his own father had been close family friends, the broken orphan had been taken into their house to be raised. At the time, Seungcheol had been staying at a distant elite boarding school hostel, only coming back home during the major holiday breaks. Jeonghan had been there every single time. The quiet, intimate weeks they spent together during those precious holidays must have been the exact reason why Jeonghan had fallen so deeply for him all those years ago.
And I entirely destroyed and broke him, Seungcheol realized, a heavy, suffocating wave of regret crushing his chest. He was too fragile, too innocent. Just because he turned out to be an omega, I panicked. I backed away from him because I couldn't handle the intensity of what I felt, and I chose to date Shua instead—a beta whose facial features looked almost exactly the same as Jeonghan's.
A bitter, hollow chuckle escaped his lips as he covered his face with his hands. And Shua also left me now. No, no... he didn't just leave me, he completely ditched me because I am nothing but a fucking asshole. And in my drunk, unhinged loneliness, I accidentally called Jeonghan back to my bed and broke him as well.
Seungcheol stood up, pacing the floor as a cold, terrifying reality set in. What will happen when Jeonghan finally wakes up and realizes that his abusive alpha was the one who helped him and saved him from those men tonight? He will surely not believe a single word. He will panic, he will think I trapped him again, and he might even jump straight out of the hotel window or the building balcony just to escape my shadow before I can explain.
The fear of driving the omega to self-destruction steeled his resolve. I should not be here when he opens his eyes. I need to leave.
Before exiting, Seungcheol reached into the pockets of Jeonghan's white suit jacket. He pulled out a small leather wallet, searching through the compartments until his fingers found a small business card. He grabbed the hotel phone, dialed the number quickly, and waited as it rang.
A woman’s cheerful, awake voice picked up on the other end. "Hello? This is Sunshine Daycare, how can I help you?"
"Hi," Seungcheol spoke, his voice dropping into a deep, professional register. "Do you happen to know a man named Yoon Jeonghan?"
The worker paused, her tone turning curious but polite. "Uhh, yes! He is currently on staff here. Can I know who is speaking, please?"
"I’m his old friend from the capital," Seungcheol lied smoothly, his eyes cutting back to the bed.
"Ooh, yeah! Mr. Jeonghan is working here full-time now. He actually traveled down to Daegu this weekend alongside my boss to attend a major charity party."
"Ooh. Thank you for the information," Seungcheol murmured.
"Can I leave a—"
Before the woman could finish asking any more questions, Seungcheol sharply hanged up the line, cutting the connection. A small, relieved smile touched his lips. So the man in the black suit—the said partner from the ballroom—was just his boss, and Jeonghan was working safely at a local daycare. The clean, innocent reality of the information made his chest lighten.
Determined to get more answers, he reached into Jeonghan's opposite pocket and pulled out his mobile device. He pressed jeonghan thumb against the fingerprint scanner, the interface easily unlocking due to the residual moisture on his fingers, and went straight to the contact list. He scrolled past the names, his eyes narrowing as he read them out loud.
"Jihan... Hao... Seungkwan... Chan... Jihoon... and Hansol."
He stopped dead in his tracks, his breath hitching as his eyes locked onto the final name. HANSOL???
Is this my cousin Hansol, or some other random person with the same name?
Seungcheol tapped the screen, opening the contact details, and his blood went completely, violently cold as the digital digits staring back at him matched his cousin's private number perfectly.
A wave of pure, unadulterated fury peaked high inside Seungcheol's veins, the muscles in his jaw clenching so hard they popped. Hansol. His own flesh and blood. Hansol had known Jeonghan’s exact whereabouts this entire goddamn month, yet he had actively played hide-and-seek over the phone, ignoring his messages, sidelining his calls, and hiding the truth. His own blood relation had chosen to stand with a runaway omega instead of standing with him.
Breathing heavily, Seungcheol forced the anger down just enough to formulate a ruthless, calculating strategy. He pulled out his own mobile phone, stepped close to the side of the bed, and took a sharp, clear picture of a completely unconscious, sleeping Jeonghan resting against the white pillows.
He opened his chat interface, selected Hansol's contact, and attached the photograph alongside the exact address of the executive hotel suite. Right below the image, he typed out a single, terrifyingly polite message: Thank you, Mr. Hansol, for your wonderful help.
He hit the send button, watching the checkmark turn solid. Let the traitor suffer through the panic.
Seungcheol slipped his phone back into his pocket and changed into a fresh shirt. He walked over to the heavy suite door, his hand resting on the brass handle. Before clicking the lock open to walk out into the corridor, he turned his head back one last time, casting a long, lingering look at Jeonghan’s peaceful, uninterrupted sleep under the duvet. Satisfied that the omega was safe from the predators of the city, Seungcheol stepped out into the dark hallway, the door clicking shut behind him as he left the sanctuary before the morning light could expose his presence.