Correction Chapter 32

Perhaps because he’d come to a place he didn’t want to be, Jungmin’s steps felt incredibly heavy. He shouldn’t have come after all.

The jet-black sedan sent by Kim Joohwan finally dropped Jungmin off in front of the hotel. As soon as he arrived, he was attended to by staff who seemed to have been waiting for him, and in the room he was led to, a suit hung on a hanger.

“What is this?”

“It’s a gift from Mr. Kim Joohwan for the guests who came today.”

“This suit?”

“Yes.”

That crazy bastard. What was he thinking?

“I don’t need it.”

He only intended to show his face and leave, so he had no intention of dressing up like this, nor did he want to receive anything from Kim Joohwan.

“If you speak so firmly, the person who prepared it will be hurt, sunbae.”

Knock, knock. With the sound of a knock, the door opened, revealing Kim Joohwan leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. He gestured, and the staff promptly vacated the room and closed the door.

He really hated being alone with this guy.

“Even seeing that unpleasant expression on your face hurts me.”

“I can’t help but make this face when I see you. I’ve shown my face, so I’m done, right? Can I go now?”

“Why didn’t Youngmin sunbae come?”

Was he changing the subject?

“Was Youngmin your objective? You should have said so.”

“That’s absurd. Can’t you see my efforts to somehow talk to you, sunbae?”

Just talking to you is tiring.

“Youngmin is sick today, so he couldn’t come.”

“Hmm, then I’ll have Youngmin sunbae’s gift sent to your house. As for sunbae….”

Kim Joohwan scanned Jungmin from head to toe and smiled. It was understandable. Jungmin wasn’t dressed for a party by any stretch of the imagination. He was wearing a suit, but it was a basic one, and his hair was simply blow-dried. He looked more formally dressed as Shin Jungmin at school.

“Have your hair and makeup done. I’ll have someone assigned to you.”

“Kim Joohwan. Happy, happy birthday. So, I want to go now.”

“What about my birthday present?”

He extended his hand. Jungmin was momentarily flustered.

“I wasn’t expecting one. So, consider it my birthday present to you. One hour. Just stay for an hour. Then, I won’t stop you. But all the people I invited today are not ordinary people… for the sake of your future, sunbae, it would be good to greet them. Of course, there are omegas with good pedigrees too.”

“Don’t refer to people like that.”

“Why not? They only see me as a breeding stud anyway.”

“What?”

“Anyway, one hour.”

Kim Joohwan tapped his glittering wristwatch and left the room. Soon, staff entered and helped Jungmin with his hair and makeup. After about 20 minutes of annoying primping, all preparations were complete.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Jungmin realized how much he had changed compared to a few months ago. Now, no matter how you looked at him, he was an alpha.

He had grown taller, almost as tall as Kim Joohwan, and his face had become clean-cut, the sharpness and slenderness he had before his presentation gone. His thick lips and deep-set eyes were enough to make omegas flutter.

For example, until he appeared, all eyes in the hall had been on Kim Joohwan, but now half of the gazes were directed at Jungmin. His cool pheromones, combined with his characteristically cold yet unexpectedly gentle personality, added to his charm.

At the same time, the alphas were wary and jealous of Jungmin. But strangely, Joohwan didn’t feel any jealousy towards him. There was no inferiority complex, no vigilance, and no sense of rivalry. Thinking about why, he guessed it might be because he was a dominant alpha, but it also might be because he knew Jungmin’s only weakness.

An alpha who wanted to be an omega. Knowing that shameful nature, Joohwan encouraged and goaded Jungmin. It was amusing, and he was curious about Jungmin’s fate.

He was also curious about how he could influence that fate. For a fleeting moment, he thought it would be nice if he could influence everything—Jungmin’s entire future life—but the thought, the instinct, the idea passed so quickly that even he didn’t notice it.

✽✽✽

“20 minutes….”

Why was time passing so slowly? There were still 20 minutes left. He didn’t really have to stick to that time limit, but Jungmin endured, not wanting to give Kim Joohwan anything to hold against him.

Still, one thing he gained was the confirmation that the people attending this event were, as he had expected, not ordinary individuals.

Promising future political and business figures, as well as second-generation members of domestic and international corporations, were all gathered. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that everyone present would lead all the world’s corporations in the next 20 years. That meant… Kim Joohwan wasn’t an ordinary person either. It was true that he shouldn’t make him an enemy if possible.

‘Since it’s come to this, please experience knotting too, sunbae.’

‘Don’t! No!! I hate it!’

Jungmin gripped the wine glass in his hand, the memory of that day suddenly surfacing. He laughed at his own patheticness.

He wasn’t sure if it was the trauma of his first experience or something else, but sometimes the events of that day would appear in his dreams. Every time, he was filled with self-loathing. However, Jungmin didn’t blame Kim Joohwan for what happened that day. Of course, he had been forced, but in the end, he had wanted it. It was his fault that things had escalated to that point. So, he tried not to think about it. He repeated to himself that it hadn’t happened, but occasionally, it would come back to him abruptly, as if imprinted.

“What are you doing here?”

A glass of wine and a small plate of refreshments were offered to Jungmin. Looking up, he saw a beautiful omega with a sweet scent, giving him a cute smile.

It was the omega he’d greeted earlier. Choi Yeonwoo, the same age as Jungmin, the second son of Seron Electronics.

“Mr. Choi Yeonwoo.”

“I’m honored you remember my name.”

“Of course, we greeted each other earlier.”

“I’m glad. Try this. It’s delicious.”

He offered a glass of champagne.